Bacterial contamination by aerosols in dentistry: a comparative analysis in university dental centers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24265/kiru.2026.v23n3.04Keywords:
Aerosols; Dental Clinics; Bacterial Load; Colony Count, MicrobialAbstract
Objectives: To determine the degree of environmental bacterial contamination caused by aerosol production in university dental centers. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the dental specialty clinics of the Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Azogues and Cuenca campuses. Stratified random sampling was performed, obtaining samples from 72 dental cubicles. A total of 216 agar plates were used, placed on the patient's chest, the operator's face shield, and the spittoon. The enriched culture medium was left open for 30 minutes during operative dentistry, periodontics, and endodontics procedures. The plates were incubated at 37 °C under aerobic and anaerobic conditions for 24 hours each. Bacterial identification was performed using Gram staining. Results: Bacterial growth was positive in 98.61% of the cultures. The highest count (354 CFU) was obtained in Periodontics on the patient's chest at the Azogues campus. Gram-positive cocci accounted for 62.16% of the identified bacteria. Conclusions: The degree of bacterial contamination produced by aerosols during dental treatment in university dental centers was intermediate, except for the operative dentistry area in Cuenca, which was low. The highest concentration was found in Periodontics on the patient's chest, with a predominance of Gram-positive cocci of the genus Staphylococcus.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Vanessa Montesinos-Rivera, Doris Eliana Calderón Alemán, Nube Gabriela Zaruma-Zhagñay , Karen Lisseth Andrade-Ordóñez, Piedad Cecilia Redrován-Reyes , Omar Israel Pulla Urgilés, Daniela San Martín Andrade
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