
“Pravara Tent”- An Innovative Protective Device to Control Aerosol in Dental Clinics during the COVID-19 Pandemic
ZH01-ZH03
Correspondence
Dr. Deepak Macchindra Vikhe,
Reader/Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Rural Dental College and Hospital, Pravara Institute of Medical Science (DU), Pravara Medical Trust, Loni-413736, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: drdeepak_mvikhe@yahoo.com
Many dental procedures use modern devices like an air rotor and ultrasonic scaler, which generate aerosols and droplets. The dental procedures cannot be performed without the above devices. The ways commonly available today to control aerosols are suction, saliva ejectors, but it does little to control aerosols. The expensive filters like HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) are available but they are not easily available in rural set-up and economical for everyone. There are many diseases, for example- severe acute respiratory syndrome, tuberculosis, influenza and viral infections, which spread through droplets, so management of the infection control procedures for aerosols is mandatory in dental clinics. A novel human coronavirus-that is, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also can be transferred through droplets and splatter. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the manufacturing of novel devices to protect the dentist from the risk of transmission. The “Pravara tent” (the name Pravara was given to the tent by the authors as it was invented at the place called Pravara) is one of the examples of a protective (box) device, which can be used to control aerosols generated from air rotor and an ultrasonic scaler to reduce transmission of diseases between clinicians, and the patients. So, this tent is a simple, modified, and economical innovative protective device working with high efficacy by creating a barrier between patient and dentist to minimise aerosols during dental procedures.