A year into the coronavirus pandemic, dental professionals understand the critical importance of aerosol control in the operatory. What many don’t think about is the role that the mechanical room plays in the process. Specifically, the dental vacuum.
Effective aerosol control requires a dental vacuum system with an optimal design for capturing aerosols at the source. How can you know if yours is up to the task? It all comes down to airflow.
Prior to 2020, suction power was considered the standard measure of vacuum performance. But in terms of aerosol capture, the airflow rate—as measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM)—is a much more relevant factor. The higher the CFM, the more air moves through the vacuum line, and the more aerosols are removed in and around the oral cavity.
Today, high CFM is more important than ever as practices have increasingly turned to HVEs in place of saliva ejectors. If you’re using a large-bore HVE to improve aerosol capture at the treatment site, a dental vacuum with high CFM airflow is essential. But not all vacuums are the same. Vacuum systems installed prior to COVID may not be designed to provide the increased airflow needed for optimal aerosol control, as some dry vacuums have limits on their CFM capability. Wet vacuums typically have high suction but low CFM, causing both suction and flow to drop off dramatically when several HVEs are operating at the same time.
Two powerful partners
Any practice with A-dec chairs in the operatory will benefit with an A-dec dry vacuum in the mechanical room. The A-dec dry vacuum uses regenerative side channel blower technology to deliver excellent suction and powerful airflow, pulling high volumes of air rapidly through the vacuum line. A-dec dental chairs are plumbed with 1” internal diameter vacuum tubing—this large airflow capacity easily accommodates the high CFMs generated by the vacuum, to move aerosols quickly and efficiently out of the operatory.
There’s another important difference. As a dry dental vacuum system, A-dec vacuums have built-in external venting designed specifically to pull aerosols out of the mechanical room. Wet vacuum systems typically use open floor drains, which can allow aerosols to escape from the mechanical room and back into the practice. With A-dec, you can be more confident that the aerosols pulled into the vacuum line are going out of your building—and out of your environment.
It’s time to breathe easy
If you have questions about improving aerosol control in the operatory, talk to your A-dec Territory Manager. And ask about the current mechanical room promotion to save 10% on A-dec dry vacuum systems, now through June 30, 2021. With the power of A-dec fighting aerosols in your practice, you can breathe a lot easier.
A-dec mechanical room products are only available in the U.S.
