Air filtration likely to make dental visits safer

Waterloo Engineering researchers have found that COVID-19 transmission during a dental appointment could be significantly decreased with proper air filtration.

Chao Tan, director of the University of Waterloo's Green Energy and Pollution Control Research Lab, and his team of researchers studied the effects of air purification on particles produced by a patient during scaling and other types of procedures in a Toronto dental office.

”For additional protection, all surfaces, such as the dental chair, dental light and countertops, should be cleaned and disinfected after each patient,” said Tan, a mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor.  

Although the researchers have not yet analyzed particle removal in other confined settings such as school classrooms, Tan said their findings may also apply to those types of environments.  His team is currently negotiating with a sponsor to test its study results in schools located in the City of Waterloo.  [Full story]