Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care · 2020 · 20 citations · 14 references
DentistryDental HygieneMicrobiologyInfection PreventionMedical MicrobiologyOral MicrobiologyMicrobial ContaminationMicrobiological AnalysisMicrobiological SamplingOral Bacterial InfectionsOral Fungal InfectionsPrevention Of Oral InfectionsDental MicrobiologyFungal Contamination AssessmentNasal MasksOral Microbial AssessmentOral Pathogenic MicroorganismsPseudomonas ContaminationPseudomonas SpeciesSurgical Masks
CONTEXT: Dental personals are more prone to acquire infections through saliva and aerosols. Surgical masks (SMs) are used by dental professionals to reduce microorganism shedding from the mouth, nose, and face of the patient. AIMS: This aim of the study is to assess the bacterial and fungal presence and their prevalence over the contaminated surgical mask in dental practice. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was conducted with sample size 240 used surgical masks collected from 130 dental personnel. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: < 0.050. RESULTS: < 0.001. The used surgical masks from dental department personnel working outpatient dental department had relatively higher bacterial and fungal contamination than the other dental departments. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce a load of microorganism contamination in the clinical environment, more awareness campaigns should be implemented in daily routine and air quality of dental departments should be improved with necessary protective measures.
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