Bacteraemia and tissue damage resulting from air polishing

Area of Science:

• Oral health
• Infectious disease transmission

Background:

• Dental prophylaxis aims to prevent oral diseases.
• Bacteraemia (bacteria in the bloodstream) can occur during dental procedures.
• Air polishing devices are increasingly used in dental settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate bacteraemia production during dental air polishing.
• To compare bacteraemia risk between air polishing and conventional prophylaxis.
• To assess potential gingival tissue effects of air polishing.

Main Methods:

• A commercially available air polishing device was used for prophylaxis.
• Conventional rubber cup and paste method served as the control group.
• Bacteraemia incidence was monitored in both groups.

Main Results:

• Air polishing can lead to epithelial loss at the gingival margin.
• Bacteraemia risk from air polishing, without gingivitis, was lower than conventional prophylaxis.
• The control group had more bacteraemias, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Air polishing is a viable dental prophylaxis method with potential for less bacteraemia.
• Gingival health monitoring is important when using air polishing devices.
• Antibiotic prophylaxis remains crucial for high-risk patients undergoing dental procedures.