IndoorDoctor’s Reintegration Plan For Dentists

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Academy of Dentistry (ADA) issued guidelines that dentists only treat emergency cases through April 30th; some states have mandated this. As a result, thousands of dental practices in New England and beyond have closed their doors. IndoorDoctor recognizes how hard-hit the dental health community has been and is prepared to help dentists with a reintegration plan. The following suggestions will help provide peace of mind to patients, hygienists, dentists and other staff when it is time to safely re-open.

Because dental work requires extremely close patient contact, extra measures must be put in place to ensure a healthy, virus-free indoor environment. Here are some facts according to the ADA that make dental offices’ air quality especially important:

Facts and Assumptions 

• COVID-19 is “stickier” than previously seen viruses – infection is easier
• COVID-19 may be spread through the airborne route, meaning that tiny droplets remaining in the air could cause disease in others even after the ill person is no longer near
• COVID-19 may be spread through aerosols produced by high and low speed handpieces, ultrasonic scalers, air/water syringes, or an infected patient coughing, and even when taking intra-oral radiographs
• COVID-19 survives on environmental surfaces for various periods of time, including metal and plastic surfaces, as found in dental offices and air supply vents.

Other research especially concerning to dentists indicates that COVID-19 stays airborne for up to 3 hours, can be displaced by airflows and relocated onto equipment including vents, and is transmittable not only by sneezing or coughing, but simply by talking (cited at end of article).

Therefore, aggressive protective measures beginning in the air must be taken to ensure safe re-entry into dental workspaces.

How can IndoorDoctor help?

• Air Purification – IndoorDoctor can recommend medical-grade air purifiers to remove airborne particulates, including viruses such as COVID-19, thus reducing airborne transmission. We can deliver and install locally. See details below.
• Surface Testing – IndoorDoctor can surface test dental offices prior to re-opening to validate proper sanitization efforts. This would allow offices to issue a statement to patients that the dental office’s sanitization has been effective.
• Air Quality Testing – IndoorDoctor provides comprehensive air quality testing. We can make sure your dental practice is as healthy as possible free from toxic mold, allergens, chemicals and ultrafine particulates that could result in occupants coughing and sneezing further transmitting viruses and illness.

Schedule a FREE walkthrough (or virtual walkthrough) so that an IndoorDoctor specialist can make recommendations about how to best purify YOUR office to ease patient and staff COVID-19 concerns. We are familiar with the capabilities/specs of all our air purifiers and will be able to make recommendations tailored to the layout of your office.

 Ready to purchase purifiers? Recommendations for Dentists:

If you’re ready to skip to the action stage, IndoorDoctor recommends purchasing either IQAir Purifiers or Austin Air Purifiers for virus removal and excellent air quality. Details below, sorted by price high to low:

IQAir Health Pro Plus (top-of-the-line, mid-size units recommended outside exam rooms: in lobbies, office areas, and break rooms. Covers 1150 SF. Hyper-HEPA filters.): https://www.indoordoctor.com/store/iqair-purifiers/

Austin Air Full-Sized Healthmate (excellent, more economical units outside exam rooms: in lobbies, office areas, and break rooms). These medical grade air purifiers require less maintenance and superior filter life. Covers 1500SF with four-stage filtration https://www.indoordoctor.com/store/austin-air-purifiers/

Austin Air Health Mate Jr  (excellent, small units recommended in smaller rooms like offices, exam rooms and lobbies. Covers up to 750 SF.  https://www.indoordoctor.com/store/austin-air-purifiers/

IQAir ATEM Personal Purification (top-of-the-line, personal units recommended for desktop surfaces/workstations, such as receptionist desks. Ideal for people directly interacting with the community or in their office. Includes the same level of Hyper-HEPA filtration as the full size HealthPro series. https://www.indoordoctor.com/store/iqair-purifiers/ – IndoorDoctor video here:   Watch IndoorDoctor  Video IQAir ATEM Personal Desktop Purifier

IQAir ATEM “Car” [Dental CHAIR] Purification (originally marketed for car use, these units can be strapped to the back of dental chairs to purify close-range air exchange. This is especially important now that research suggests COVID-19 can be spread through breathing. Includes the same level of Hyper-HEPA filtration as the full size HealthPro series plus added carbon for chemical reduction https://www.indoordoctor.com/store/iqair-purifiers/ IndoorDoctor video here: Watch IndoorDoctor IQAir ATEM Car purifier that could fit on dental chair

IQAir ATEM Car Purifier Retrofit for Dental Chairs

Additional Measures:

To best prepare your dental practice for opening we highly recommend that you:

1. Schedule professional air duct cleaning
2. Schedule professional carpet and upholstery cleaning
3. Conduct detailed sanitization on all vertical and horizontal surfaces using quaternary disinfectants
4. Inspect and upgrade all vacuums to HEPA rated with fresh clean filters and bags
5. Avoid cross contamination in cleaning with color coded microfiber clothes, e.g. bathrooms red cloth, exam rooms yellow, lobby green etc…

Final Thoughts:

Just as dental care is often indicative of one’s overall wellness, an office’s air quality indicates the healthiness of the indoor environment. Allow IndoorDoctor to examine, diagnose, and treat your dental facilities so that you can focus on oral health and not patient and staff fear of coming back to your office after the peak of COVID-19.

Call or text 978-482-7341 to book an appointment and get medical grade air purifiers.

1. N van Doremalen, et al. Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1. The New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973 (2020).
2. Air, Surface Environmental, and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) From a Symptomatic Patient Sean Wei Xiang Ong, MBBS¹; Yian Kim Tan, PhD²; Po Ying Chia, MBBS¹; et al
3. UNMC study gives more indication of airborne transmission of coronavirus Joanne Young https://journalstar.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/unmc-study-gives-more-indication-of-airborne-transmission-of-coronavirus/article_4a08b9e6-bd53-5a2a-a16a-7ccf26f5cdcf.html
4. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/health/aerosol-coronavirus-spread-white-house-letter/index.html
5. N van Doremalen, et al. Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1. The New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973 (2020).
6. Air, Surface Environmental, and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) From a Symptomatic Patient Sean Wei Xiang Ong, MBBS¹; Yian Kim Tan, PhD²; Po Ying Chia, MBBS¹; et al