WO2021240229A1

WO2021240229A1 - A protective device in dentistry to prevent the spread of diseases and aerosols

Info

Publication number: WO2021240229A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/058296
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ehsan MOUDI; Mohammadamin MOUDI
Original assignee: Moudi Ehsan; Moudi Mohammadamin
Priority date: 2020-05-27
Filing date: 2020-09-06
Publication date: 2021-12-02

Abstract

This invention is related to the field of dentistry and medicine. This device has been designed due to the recent outbreak of infectious respiratory disease (COVID-19) and the probability of its distribution in work offices, clinics, and surgery rooms where transmission of the disease to medical staff, physicians, and health-care providers is possible. A covering compartment has been designed suitable for the patient's head and neck that will be located on the patient's head and neck. This cover reduces the transmission of the disease and is expected to decrease the spread of the disease to the health service provider, and the patients. Its application in different disciplines of medicine and dentistry is recommended.

Description

A protective device in dentistry to prevent the spread of diseases and aerosols

This invention is related to medicine in general and dentistry and oral health in particular.

Due to the current situation and the spread of infectious diseases in the world, one of the causes of transmission of viruses, bacteria, pathogens such as tuberculosis, conjunctivitis, influenza and some respiratory diseases, herpes infections and some skin diseases, and other pathogens in the blood, such as the AIDS virus and hepatitis B, and their prevalence are excretions from the patient's mouth. When working with ultrasonic scaler, dental turbines, and air or water pumps, these particles are released into the dental environment and cause contamination of the environment and transmit it to the dentist, medical staff, and other patients. Most protective devices, such as masks and shields, are designed to protect dentists only. However, this invention can control viruses or infectious substances and prevent their spread.

This mechanical apparatus is designed to minimize the risk of propagation of aerosol particles propagating during dental operations which may otherwise harm the physicians and their co-workers .Especially, the problem has become more important as Coronavirus Pandemic is lasting more.

The fact that there are many harmful species including fungi and viruses from the respiratory tract inhabit in oral cavity is clearly a known reality which explains extend of this potential risk of dental processes. In dental operations, about ninety per cent of aerosols are tiny in size of ranges below five micrometer. These are suspended in air until evaporation, leaving particles containing bacteria, virus, fungi, pathogens, harmful and toxic fumes and other aerosols related to respiratory infection. These harmful particles infect surfaces for about more than 90 cm and may remain damaging for half an hour to more than two hours. These harmful particles are created in extractions, crown preparations, caries restorations, periodontal therapies, prophylaxes and endodontic treatment and most other surgery processes done on hard or soft tissue. Transmission based recommendations now include the use of high speed air evacuation, pre-procedural antimicrobial mouth rinses, and flushing waterlines at the beginning of workday and between each patient, which new studies shows they harbor microbial pathogens, as well as wearing standard personal protection equipment, along with air purification systems.

The core idea of this invention is to make operations safer by minimizing the propagation of aerosols in working atmosphere to reduce the risk of infection for three playmakers of this dangerous scene: patient-operator-personnel. It does not interfere the sight and hands of operator to do his best in the process. Its nature of separating two distinctive zones is the key part of this invention which prevents spreading harmful particles from its source of production.

As apparently can be seen, the new apparatus is a complementary for all of the wisely thought measures, along with facilitating and giving more confidence and security for all of the people encountering the process from doctors to staff and patients. In previous methods the recommended measures partially preserved the operator from infectious and toxic effect of propagating aerosols, but as the patient could not use mask or conventional shield for the doctor’s accessibility to his/her mouth to operate, the patient was completely undefended in this respect. Although high volume evacuator removes up to ninety per cent of aerosols, but using it during operation is quite challenging. Another point of view about adverse effect of personal protective equipment is its fogging problem caused in dental operations due to different high speed equipment like ultrasonic scalar in using water. Another cause of the fogging problem arises of operator’s expiration in a short time which causes unclear sight which can’t be tolerated in crucial operations in dentistry. Another negative point in connection to personal protective equipment is its thirty minutes duration of changing which is not reasonable for short surgical procedures.

1) The conical curtain around the patient’s head, face and around the operation field creates a barrier between doctor and personnel on one side and patient on the other side.

2) By creating the barrier it makes environment safer for operator and patient.

3) It minimizes the requirement to personal protection equipment.

4) The apparatus is very cost effective than any other existing one which lowers the cost for each patient.

5) The invention’s protective shield does not obstruct the operator’s field of vision.

1) Cast iron base

2) Screw connecting the cast iron base to iron tube

3) Iron tube

4) Vertical arm height adjustment joint

5) Movable vertical arm

6) Movable joint

7) Movable horizontal arm

8) The first joint for changing the length of the horizontal arm

9) The second joint for changing the length of the horizontal arm

10) Rotating joint for horizontal and vertical movements

11) 360-degree rotating joint

12) Mechanical joint holding circular compartment

13) Circular compartment

14) Protective conical skirt (fig.2)

Fig.1

shows a schematic diagram of the invention.

Fig.2

Shows Protective conical skirt’s details.

We claim that this device, which consists of 14 parts, can prevent the spread of aerosols and pathogens from its source. These 14 parts include the cast iron base (1) which is in contact with the ground, a screw connecting the cast iron base (2) to an iron tube (3), the vertical arm height adjustment joint (4), the movable vertical arm (5), the movable joint (6), and the movable horizontal arm attached to the joint (7). Also, the first and second joints (8 and 9) change the length of the horizontal arm. The rotating joint (10) is used for horizontal and vertical movements. The 360-degree rotating joint (11) is used for the rotational movement. Finally, the mechanical joint (12) holds the circular compartment (13) with a loop or ring that prevents the spread of pathogens by a protective conical skirt (14).

The invention is placed inside the dentist's room through a base fixed to the ground or a dental unit. The base is connected to the joint using a flexible arm with a suitable preferential slope of 90 degrees. The 360-degree joint is also attached to a loop that holds the conical skirt covering the patient's face and head. This loop can be adjusted horizontally and vertically.

Patent Literature

This device consists of an arm attached to a base, which is attached to a connecting ring and its protective covering compartment named conical skirt, which is located in the patient's head and face area at a distance of 30-35 cm at a suitable angle for the dentist to see the work and he/she can work easily without interfering with the patient's treatment.

Claims

We invented a dental protection device to prevent the spread of virus contaminated aerosol particles, which includes the following: Conical skirt protective part and nylon protective cover, adjustable horizontal support arm attached to the circular compartment, adjustable joint attached to the base and compartment, adjustable vertical support arm attached to the horizontal arm, vertical arm support tube, detachable and connectable cast iron circular plate to balance the weight of the set.
According to Claim 1, the circular compartment is connected to a horizontally adjustable arm through a movable mechanical joint.
According to claim 1, the circular compartment has a preferred height of 8 mm-2 cm, which is placed at a suitable angle to the patient's face and can rotate 360 degrees in both horizontal and vertical directions.
According to claim 1, the circular compartment can be made of aluminum, plastic, Polyvinyl Chloride polymer, and stainless steel.
According to claim 1, the cover of the circular compartment is preferably made of flexible materials such as cellophane nylons with variable thicknesses, which provides the appropriate transparency and flexibility for viewing the details of the patient's teeth.
According to claim 1, the movable joint holding compartment is a rotating circular plastic that allows all 360-degree movements of the compartment and is placed inside the horizontal support arm.
According to claim 1, in the upper part of the horizontal arm, another adjustable joint performs all the horizontal and vertical movements of the compartment, which is located near the 360-degrees joint.
According to Claim 1, a movable horizontal support arm made of iron with a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm transfers the weight of the circular compartment to the vertical arm through an adjustable aluminum joint. This horizontal arm can change the length in the range of 30-100 cm.
According to Claim 1, a movable vertical support arm made of iron with a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm transfers the weight of the vertical arm and the circular compartment to the cylindrical tube. This vertical arm can change the length in the range of 10-30 cm.
According to claim 1, an iron tube with a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm and a diameter of 2.5 cm is responsible for holding the vertical arm. The length of this tube is fixed and is in the preferred range of 85-100 cm.
According to claim 1, a cast iron base is attached to the vertical tube. The preferred weight of this base is 4.5-5.5 kg and its diameter is in the range of 30-35 cm. This cast iron base is connected to the whole set through a detachable and connectable screw and transfers all its weight to the ground.