Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review on the method of measuring contamination in aerosols to be provided as basic data on aerosols and infection risks occurring in dentistry. Methods: Research data from January 2000 to August 2022 were collected. We followed the protocol for systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines presented by Cochrane and conducted quality assessments using the RoBANs tool. As a result, a total of 42 papers were compared and analyzed. Results: Aerosol collection methods include a direct collection method in which the floating aerosol directly contacts the culture medium, an indirect collection method using an air collection device, and other collection methods. Blood agar plate (72.4%) was the most used culture medium. The aerosol collection devices included A Buck Bio-Culture™, M Air T sampler, and 6-stage cascade air sampler. Streptococci, Bacillus, and S. epidermidis were the mainly detected microorganisms. Conclusions: The direct collection method which was the most used among these systematic reviews has the potential to contain airborne bacteria from dental institutions within the generated aerosols. Therefore, the need for additional researchis suggested to increase the reliability of the existing aerosol collection method.
Figures & Tables
Fig. 1. Flow diagram of the study selection process.