Quantitative assessment of aerosol contamination generated during tooth grinding with a speed-increasing handpiece

Tooth grinding produces a significant amount of aerosol particles. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess particle contamination produced from tooth grinding with a speed-increasing handpiece across a real-world clinical setting.

All molar crowns were pretreated into cylinders with a uniform size. A novel computer-assisted numerical control system was used to parametrically study the bur speed: from 20,000 (20 K) to 200 K rpm at 20 K rpm intervals. 5-minute tooth grinding was performed in triplicate at each speed setting. Three online real-time particle counters (ORPC; TR-8301, TongrenCo.) were placed at 3 positions (0.5, 1, and 1.5 m) to evaluate particle production. All experimental instruments were controlled remotely. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests (Scheirer-Ray-Hare and Kruskal-Wallis/ Dunn-Bonferroni tests, p < 0.05).

The concentration level of aerosol particles production during the grinding experiment was elevated above the control group for all conditions, and increased with bur speed at any location (the maximum peak, reaching 5.59 × 10⁷ particles/m³, at 200 K and 1 m), with differences between conditions. The effect of speed on the increment of particles across different channels compared to the control group was statistically significant among locations (p < 0.001).

Statistically significant particle contamination was produced using a speed-increasing handpiece, but the contamination level for each experimental condition was reduced to baseline within 30 min, and most particles with a diameter greater than 1üm produced at low speeds (80 K or lower) tended to settle within 1 m.

Our study suggested that the use of a speed-increasing handpiece below 80 K and 30 min of fallow time may lead to an adequate reduction in the health effects of particle contamination.