AS THE NATION turns into General Community Quarantine mode, more and more businesses and essential services will reopen.
Dental clinics will be among them and some dentists are now looking at best practices on how to disinfect, clean and maintain sanitation to protect patients and dental staff.
In the United States, one method that interests dentist is the use of ultraviolet light to clean dental clinics, disinfects surfaces and sanitizes the air.
Ultraviolet (UV) light is nothing new nor exotic. It is in fact common just as too much of it will cause sunburn this summer. A sunburn is the body’s natural defense against too much sunlight, producing the melanin pigment that acts as a natural sunscreen. That’s why you look dark after a spell under the sun; the melanin pigment darkens to protect skin cells.
UV light is found in the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun in waves or particles at different wavelengths and frequencies. UV light is found between visible light and X-rays.
The UV light that interests dentists is generated when an electric current is passed through vaporized mercury or some other gas. This is common for disinfecting surfaces.
Again, nothing new here. Disinfecting with UV light has long been a common practice in hospitals and large medical facilities.
For a long time now, UV sanitizing is common practice in large health care settings and is “very effective” in killing germs and bacteria, Ann Marie Pettis, President of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, tells cnbc.com.
Dentists are concerned about disinfecting and sanitizing because they use procedures that generate aerosols that, in turn, can carry the coronavirus in the air and potentially transmit the infection.
The American Dental Association (ADA) has issued health protocols to ensure a dental clinic stays safe. These include thermal checks; a distance of 6 feet between patients in the waiting room; scheduling appointments on a staggered basis to provide enough physical space in between; a telephone question-and-answer triage when patients are screened for COVID symptoms prior to dental appointments.
The ADA is looking into UV disinfection as one of many strategies, cnbc.com reports, although the technology is not mentioned in the ADA’s “Return to Work Interim Guidance Toolkit”.
UV light is effective against coronaviruses, says Dr. Richard Martinello, Associate Professor at the Yale School of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Department of Infection Prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital.
The COVID-19 is caused by a very fragile virus because of a layer of fatty lipids that coats the virus itself; the layer “is very easily disrupted,” Martinello says in a cnbc.com interview.
UV light and cleaning products like soap and disinfectants can destroy this layer and kill the virus, says Martinello who sits on the board of the International Ultraviolet Association that promotes the use of ultraviolet light in sanitizing practices.
Since the start of the pandemic, the association has observed increasing interest on UV light applications.
While UV light has been proven effective against other kinds of coronaviruses, there are few studies showing how effective it is against the COVID-19 virus.
There are several UV tools. One is the disinfecting tower common in hospitals; it beams UV light to decontaminate a room. At this point, no one should be in the room while it is being used to avoid skin burns and eye injury.
Then there is the UV Dental Disinfection Cabinet that sanitize glass, metal and plastic tools. However, there is not enough data to say that UV lights can inactivate COVID-19.
A UV light air purifier eliminates germs, bacteria – and coronaviruses – in the air. It uses fans to draw in air from the room and uses UV light to kill the disease causing bacteria and viruses. It can be used to clean the air 24/7.
Another UV sanitizer is fixed on the wall. It emits UV light at an angle to create a “kill zone” in the air near the ceiling. Because of the angle, it is safe 24/7 even when people are around.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is a former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists. Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./PN
