ASSESSMENT OF EFFICACY OF UV LIGHT BASED NOVEL AIR SANITIZING DEVICE IN THE REDUCTION OF ORAL MICROFLORA DURING ORTHODONTIC PROCEDURES

Purpose: Due to the possibility of airborne contamination by biological diseases, implementing severe bio-safety
standards inside dental clinic settings has become a primary requirement. Given the potential biological risk of crosscontamination from saliva, blood, aerosol, and/or droplets created during dental treatments, evaluating the qualitative and quantitative reduction of oral microbiota in the presence of UV radiation is critical. This study aims to assess the efficacy of UV tunnel in a qualitative and quantitative reduction in oral microflora during aerosol (debonding) and non-aerosol (bonding) generating orthodontic procedures in a dental clinical setup.
Materials and Methods: The microbial load in the dental clinic’s air was measured using the settling plate technique.
Petri dishes were standardized and placed throughout the room at various heights and distances. The bacterial/viral
load was determined qualitatively and quantitatively using petri dish samples.
Results: Total Viable Count (TVC) was assessed at different time intervals, and except for 24 and 48 hours, it was
statistically significant. Total Mold Count (TMC) was assessed at different levels from the patient’s oral cavity, and
a significant difference was seen between the patient level, the doctor, and the assistant level, even after 48 hours.
However, there was no statistical difference at the doctor and patient level in debonding and bonding generating
groups.
Conclusion: UV tunnel devices show a statistically significant decline amongst the viable molds but also refrain
from chances of recontamination.