Effectiveness of Secondary Aerosol Shielding Devices in Aerosol Dispersal Containment: A Comparison

Aerosols are small particles suspended in the air that can facilitate the spread of viruses, particularly during dental procedures that produce aerosols. Despite the implementation of protective equipment, the possibility of infection remains. Hence, this study emphasizes the importance of characterizing the design of equipment that can contain the spread of aerosols during treatment. This study comprised of interviews to gather feedback from the dental team regarding the appropriateness of aerosol shields. The effectiveness of three aerosol protective device designs, Protectors A, B, and C, in preventing the spread of aerosols was evaluated through simulation using Autodesk Inventor and ANSYS Workbench software. The study›s findings indicate that all three aerosol designs exhibit a high level of efficacy in preventing the dispersion of aerosols. The difference of the random value of liquid dispersion velocity is around 0.27% to 0.54% based on the simulation results. This study also highlights the importance of ergonomic considerations, with the designs of Protector C devices demonstrating effective implementation of features in this aspect. Overall, aerosol protective devices effectively reduce the transmission of aerosols to dental team members and can also be utilized in many medical disciplines to restrict the dispersion of aerosols during treatment.