What is Ozone? Is it Bad?
Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is found in small amounts at both the upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be "good" or "bad" for your health and the environment, depending on its location in the atmosphere. The EPA states that Ozone is "Good up high, and bad nearby."You may be already aware that Ozone in our upper atmosphere protects from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. Without this protective layer, life on earth would likely not exist. Although, Ozone down low is toxic to humans because of it's reactive nature with our cells.Ozone is a gas made up of an unstable configuration of three (3) oxygen molecules. This unstable configuration allows Ozone to react quickly with other elements and organic material. It is these interactions with organic material that makes up the body and potentially cause harmful health consequences. When inhaled, Ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. Manufacturers and vendors of Ozone devices often use misleading terms to describe Ozone. Terms such as "energized oxygen" or "pure air" suggest that Ozone is a healthy kind of oxygen. Ozone is a toxic gas with vastly different chemical and toxicological properties from oxygen.
What is Ultraviolet-C?
Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) is a short-wavelength, ultraviolet light that breaks apart germ DNA, leaving it unable to function or reproduce. In other words, UV-C light is germicidal (UV-A and UV-B light are not). UV-C can even neutralize “super-bugs” that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. The UV-C light breaks the bonds between DNA and RNA chains inactivating them so that they cannot develop, reproduce, or function. By destroying the organism’s ability to reproduce, it becomes harmless since it cannot colonize. After UV-C exposure, the organism dies off leaving no offspring, and the population of the microorganism diminishes rapidly. Ultraviolet germicidal lamps provide a much more powerful and concentrated effect of ultraviolet energy than can be found naturally. Germicidal UV provides a highly effective method of destroying microorganisms.
Does UV-C light create ozone?
No, UV-C light does not produce ozone. However, the shorter Ultraviolet-V (UV-V at 185 nanometers) wavelength of UVV light actually generates ozone. This occurs because UVV light reacts with oxygen to break it into atomic oxygen, a highly unstable atom that combines with oxygen to form O3 (Ozone). Ironically, UV light in the 240-315nm wavelength will break this third oxygen atom attachment above and convert it back to oxygen. The peak ozone destruction occurs at the 254nm wavelength. So, a UV-C lamp at the 253.7nm wavelength will actually destroy Ozone! OCTOdent's UV-C lamp is at the 253.7nm wavelength for peak Ozone, bacteria, and virus destruction.
In recent months, the concern of dental aerosols and other airborne hazards has been a great threat in dentistry. Throughout the pandemic, dental practices are addressing the issues of contaminated aerosols and implementing infection control protocols while trying to protect the health of the dental team and patients.
In dentistry, many procedures require the use of dental instruments that require compressed air and water. This may include high-speed hand-pieces, ultrasonic instruments, lasers, and air polishers - all tools that produce high levels of aerosol droplets. These aerosols are small particles that remain suspended in the air for long periods of time. Studies show that even when a dentist and assistant are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), they are at risk for up to 30 minutes following an aerosol generative procedure as airborne droplets can linger in the air. In addition, aerosol droplets can travel up to 20 feet, meaning a dental team and patients in adjacent rooms are also at risk.
Why are dental aerosols a source of concern?
Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, dental aerosols were a major causative factor of infection and contamination as they can transmit bacteria, viruses, blood, and hazardous microorganisms. Infected dental aerosols can cause airborne respiratory infections like Influenza, Sinusitis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, SARS, and even Covid-19. Studies show that there is a fourfold increase in bacteria observed when aerosol-producing procedures are performed.
In order to combat the risk of infection, dentists are now more than ever considering methods to help eliminate and reduce aerosol-based contamination. While dental offices practice “universal precautions” in the assumption that every patient can carry disease, the Covid-19 Pandemic has changed the way dental practices operate, similar to when HIV was a major concern in dentistry during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Dental professionals are now investing in PPE, office filtration systems, waterline filtration and disinfection systems, and intra-oral suction devices. One of the most popular or sought out pieces of equipment during the pandemic, extra oral aerosol suction equipment, is being sold to thousands of dental offices, major DSOs and dental universities around the world because of its advanced technology and applications.
Benefits of Extra-oral Suction
Extra-oral dental suction systems or aerosol vacuums are one of the most effective ways to help minimize dental aerosols in an operatory. While it is used as an adjunct to high-velocity air evacuation (HVE) and intra-oral suction devices, extra oral suction equipment works by filtrating the air and removing dental aerosols up to a much greater magnitude. Extra oral dental suctions like OCTOdent is essentially the larger, more effective version of a low-volume suction evacuation by working as an aerosol scavenger. It offers several benefits to dental professionals including:
Improved air filtration using medical grade filters: You want to protect your practice with only the most reliable pieces of equipment. OCTOdent, manufactured in the United States, offers UltraHEPA™ H13 to help trap the smallest particles of any virus and filter air contaminants. An UltraHEPA™ H13 filter is the highest grade of medical filter and can be compared to wearing an N95 mask all day because it captures the most ultra-fine particles. This type of filter is capable of removal of 99.97% for 0.3 microns in size.
Built-in confidence from patients: Patients are already anxious about dental visits due to COVID-19; your OCTOdent will help show you care about their safety and the health of your staff and patients by taking the extra mile in infection control.
Extra protection: Extra-oral aerosol suction systems offer reduced risk by helping remove the spread of viruses and bacteria lingering in the air. The smallest of microorganisms can settle in your office for hours or longer leading to safety risks for your staff and patients. A suction unit, like OCTOdent, is designed to efficiently absorb 99.9 % of aerosols generated during treatment.
Disinfection and sterilization: OCTOdent utilizes PLASMACLEAR™ technology for air filtration, the most advanced form of sterilization to improve air quality and decrease the chance of respiratory illness.
Flexibility and comfort: An oral aerosol scavenger such as OCTOdent can adjust to any angle because it contains a 360 flexible arm that can adapt to your patient for extra protection and comfort.
How Does It Work?
OCTOdent is designed to use a Six Stage Filtration System by absorbing aerosol droplets into the unit by entering a pre-filter stage. This is where the largest droplets will be absorbed. Second, there is a moisture-absorbing filter and then an UltraHEPA H13 filter to capture smaller particles. Once the aerosol particles are pushed through the medical-grade HEPA filter, they are absorbed by activated carbon. This will help reduce any observable odors. OCTOdent features UV-C lamps, which are germicidal, to effectively destroy any hazardous microorganisms. Lastly, PLASMACLEAR Technology utilizes hydroxyl generation to kill any microorganisms for optimal air purification.
How Dental Professionals Will Adapt
Similarly to when dentists adapted in the 1980s to new guidelines surrounding sterilization and personal protection equipment, all dental professionals will have to make major changes to performing patient care. Everyday health professionals are learning about how Covid-19 spreads and how to protect both patients and staff. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends using a combination of universal standard precautions, contact precautions, and aerosol precautions, including eye protection.
OCTOdent extra-oral aerosol scavenger offers the highest quality suction to clean the operatory air and reduce the spread of contaminants. Dr. Sandra Lender, who is using the OCTOdent in her Massachusetts dental practice reports, “The XT model is incredible at capturing aerosols and does exactly as stated. I will continue to use this product even after the pandemic because it creates a healthier environment for staff and patients.”
An extra-oral aerosol scavenger like OCTOdent will benefit dental practices, as well as other major medical facilities, globally and long-term. The dental industry and profession is no stranger to change when it comes to infection control precautions. In the past few months, dental practices are thriving because of advanced technologies and equipment. OCTOdent is and will continue to attract dental health care personnel as guidelines by the CDC and ADA update to create safer breathing environments for quality patient care.
Erica Anand DDS
Most people do not understand the difference between seal suction and velocity suction. To comprehend the two, you need to measure the air intake of vacuum suction in various ways. Let's look at seal suction and velocity suction to understand how they relate to specific uses.
First let's look at velocity suction, typically measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM or cu ft/min) or liters per minute (LPM or l/min). CFM or LPM is a measurement of the velocity at which air flows into or out of space. CFM or LPM is a great way to measure things like blowers, fans, air purifiers, HVAC units, leaf blowers, wet/dry vacuums, or suctions in general. These items frequently are designed specifically to move large amounts of air very fast. The movement of air in these units is a critical measure of the velocity of suction.
Next lets look at the seal suction which is measured in many different ways such as kiloPascals (kPa), pounds per square inch (psi), millimeters of mercury (mmHg), or millibar (mbar). Seal suction, also known as water lift suction, involves sealing suction and connecting a tube containing water. The higher the water rises, the higher the seal or lifting suction. Seal or water lift suction (Kpa) is important in vacuums that require lifting liquids such as water over a great distance.
So, which is most important when looking at suction? It depends.
Since suctions are designed for specific uses, suctions are typically high velocity and low seal suction or high seal suction and low velocity. If you are trying to suction a large volume of air including particulates, vapors, bacteria, and viruses through a filter, you want high velocity or high CFM. If you are wanting to pull a liquid through the suction you want high seal suction or high kPa.
Many of the aerosol suction units on the market tout high kPa. These units were designed for high-volume evacuation (HVE) of saliva, a viscous liquid. These units have been converted to the current market demand for aerosol suctions. You will notice that the CFM of their products is significantly lower than our aerosol suctions.
For the suction of air or aerosols, you want high-velocity suction which will pull more particulate, vapors, bacteria, and viruses at higher CFM.
Abstract
Background: Dental procedures often produce aerosols and spatter, which have the potential to transmit pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The existing literature is limited.
Methods: Aerosols and spatter were generated from an ultrasonic scaling procedure on a dental manikin and characterized via 2 optical imaging methods: digital inline holography and laser sheet imaging. Capture efficiencies of various aerosol mitigation devices were evaluated and compared.
Results: The ultrasonic scaling procedure generated a wide size range of aerosols (up to a few hundred μm) and occasional large spatter, which emit at low velocity (mostly < 3 m/s). Use of a saliva ejector and high-volume evacuator (HVE) resulted in overall reductions of 63% and 88%, respectively, whereas an extraoral local extractor (ELE) resulted in a reduction of 96% at the nominal design flow setting.
Conclusions: The study results showed that the use of ELE or HVE significantly reduced aerosol and spatter emissions. The use of HVE generally requires an additional person to assist a dental hygienist, whereas an ELE can be operated hands-free when a dental hygienist is performing ultrasonic scaling and other operations.
Practical Implications: An ELE aids in the reduction of aerosols and spatters during ultrasonic scaling procedures, potentially reducing transmission of oral or respiratory pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Position and airflow of the device are important to effective aerosol mitigation.
Abstract
Background: Dental procedures often produce aerosols and spatter, which have the potential to transmit pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The existing literature is limited.
Methods: Aerosols and spatter were generated from an ultrasonic scaling procedure on a dental manikin and characterized via 2 optical imaging methods: digital inline holography and laser sheet imaging. Capture efficiencies of various aerosol mitigation devices were evaluated and compared.
Results: The ultrasonic scaling procedure generated a wide size range of aerosols (up to a few hundred μm) and occasional large spatter, which emit at low velocity (mostly < 3 m/s). Use of a saliva ejector and high-volume evacuator (HVE) resulted in overall reductions of 63% and 88%, respectively, whereas an extraoral local extractor (ELE) resulted in a reduction of 96% at the nominal design flow setting.
Conclusions: The study results showed that the use of ELE or HVE significantly reduced aerosol and spatter emissions. The use of HVE generally requires an additional person to assist a dental hygienist, whereas an ELE can be operated hands-free when a dental hygienist is performing ultrasonic scaling and other operations.
Practical Implications: An ELE aids in the reduction of aerosols and spatters during ultrasonic scaling procedures, potentially reducing transmission of oral or respiratory pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Position and airflow of the device are important to effective aerosol mitigation.
PLASMACLEAR™ Technology
PLASMACLEAR™ Technology utilizes Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PCO) which is commonly used in hospital HVAC systems for air purification of nano organisms. PLASMACLEAR™ utilizes hydroxyl generation to kill and inactivate viruses, bacteria, fungi, and prions. Hydroxyls or hydroxyl clusters are nature’s method of cleaning the air outdoors. Found mostly at mountain-top heights — particularly on sunny days — hydroxyls are extremely effective at killing single-celled organisms such as bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungus spores.
PLASMACLEAR™ does not produce Ozone.
Ozone (O3) is another of nature's odor and pathogen killers, but is poisonous to all forms of life at the concentrations required to be effective. Hydroxyls, however, are laboratory tested to be safe at any concentration.
PLASMACLEAR™ technology allows hydroxyls to be easily reproduced via compact devices that can be employed in critical care facilities such as hospitals, aged-care facilities, and dental offices to improve air quality and rid the air of airborne pathogens such as respiratory diseases and other bacteria that may contaminate and spread inside buildings.
Hydroxyl's
Hydroxyl is a water molecule missing one of its hydrogen atoms. PLASMACLEAR™ technology passes air through a small cold plasma field to produce hydroxyls, which are distributed throughout a space via a strong fan. Water molecules in the air are drawn through cold plasma field and converted to hydroxyl clusters — put simply, they lose a hydrogen atom.
The molecule is in an unbalanced state, it seeks to replace its missing hydrogen atom. The hydroxyl (OH-) molecules are attracted to single-cell organisms in the air, attaching to them and forcibly ripping a hydrogen atom from the cell wall. This process means that hydroxyl molecules are now H2O again — harmless water molecules.
After the cell wall of the organism has been ruptured and, like a popped balloon, it dies. This is a very simple mechanical action that bacteria and viruses cannot become immune to. Hydroxyl does not discriminate between bacteria, viruses, fungi or prions attacking all equally.
History
Hydroxyls have been known to scientists and researched for some 100 years since Louis Pasteur first discovered them when researching why people living at high altitudes in sunny conditions were generally healthier than people living at sea level. Since then, organizations such as the British Army have researched hydroxyls as a method of combating germ warfare in the late 1960s — all papers and studies have confirmed the benefits of using hydroxyls, but until this century had not been able to reproduce them by a compact means.
Maintenance and Energy Usage
PLASMACLEAR™ Technology does not require any maintenance or consumables for its 10,000 hr life other than low consumption of electricity (2 Watts). The system uses water molecules in the air and does not require chemicals or any other medium to perform its hydroxyl-generating function.
Breathe BETTER Air
The natural source for this reaction is UV solar radiation and soil radioactivity. This decomposition process assures that there will always be bipolar air ions within the breathable atmosphere in our natural environment and, unfortunately, also that in an enclosed, indoor environment, ions may not exist at all.
With this natural process provided by PLASMACLEAR™ Technology, it can actually IMPROVE the air that we breathe indoors providing with clean fresh air with an appropriate balance of air ions.
Much like sunlight does in the atmosphere, PLASMACLEAR™ Technology produces a natural bio-climate rich in positive and negative oxygen ions. The negative ions contain an extra electron while the positive ions are missing an electron resulting in an unstable condition. In an effort to re-stabilize, these bipolar ions seek out atoms and molecules in the air to trade electrons with, effectively neutralizing particulate matter, bacteria and virus cells, odorous gases and aerosols, and VOCs.
Stay healthy. Breathe better.
References:
Crosley DR1, Araps CJ2, Doyle-Eisele M3, McDonald JD3. Gas-phase photolytic production of hydroxyl radicals in an ultraviolet purifier for air and surfaces. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2017 Feb;67(2):231-240.
Medical Advisory Secretariat. Air cleaning technologies: an evidence-based analysis. Ont Health Technol Assess Ser. 2005;5(17):1-52. Epub 2005 Nov 1.
Bekbolet M, Selcuk H, Demirel CS, Demirel B. Contaminant removal. J Hazard Mater. 2013 Dec 15;263 Pt 2:267
Wong V1, Staniforth K, Boswell TC. Environmental contamination and airborne microbial counts: a role for hydroxyl radical disinfection units? J Hosp Infect. 2011 Jul;78(3):194-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2011.03.003. Epub 2011 Apr 17.
LH Hawkins and T Barker. Air Ions and Human Performance. Ergonomics 1978 Vol 21 Xo 273‐278.
Howard D. Lash. Hydroxyl and Air Purification. The Journal of Microbiology, June 2006.
We have many customers that are concerned about COVID-19 and the ability of UltraHEPA™ H13 to filter out this virus.
Viruses are very small at 20-400nm (ie 0.4 to 0.02 micrometers) in diameter.
HEPA filters, as defined by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) standard adopted by most American industries, remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 micrometers (μm) in diameter. This doesn't mean that particles smaller an 0.3µm do not get caught in the filter. Our UltraHEPA™ H13 will filter viruses down to 0.003 microns.
Trapping Viruses
There are three ways that particles get blocked when passing through the filter.
The first is by impaction. Simply, the particles hit the fibers of the filter and stop like a car hitting a brick wall.
The second is by interception. The particle tries to go around the fibers and gets it's trousers stuck on the door knob.
The third mechanism is by diffusion. Nano-particles move by what is call Brownian motion meaning that they collide with one another on a constant basis causing a zig-zag motion. This motion causes them to get stuck as they collide with one another and diffuse into the fibrous network and get stuck.
It is through this last mechanism that the smallest of particles such as viruses are caught by a filter that has holes larger than the particle that gets stuck.
The COVID-19 virus may not be completely blocked by UltraHEPA™ H13 filtration system. However, a single UltraHEPA™ filter has greater than 95% effective against very small nano-particles like viruses.
Finally, multiple layers of filters, such as our system increases filtration simply because there are more opportunities for nano-particles to get stuck in the fibers.
To see a summary about these facts go to the American Society of Hospital Engineering COVID-19 FAQ page and click on "Filtration".