Assessment of Aerosol Quantity Generated During Caries Treat-ment With Er:YAG Laser. A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Maintaining biosafety in dental practice requires an efficient elimination of aerosols produced during dental treatment. The objective of this research was to assess the quantity of aerosols and aerobic bacteria present in the air during the treatment of caries. Methods: This study was divided into two groups based on the caries treatment method involving 60 patients with 60 m olar teeth (n=60) in the mandible. Group 1 (n=30) received a conventional dental turbine W&H Synea TA-98LC (W&H, Bürmoos, Austria), while Group 2 (n=30) received an Er:YAG laser (LightWalker, Fotona, Slovenia). Measurements of aerosol particles between 0.3 - 10.0 μm near the operator's mouth were taken using the PC200 laser particle counter (Trotec GmbH, Schwerin, Germany). The number of aerobic bacteria in the air was determined using 60 micro-biological plates with a microbiological medium (Columbia Agar with 5% Sheep Blood) and the sedimentation method. A control group G3 was established to measure the initial aero-sol level and the initial total number of bacteria CFUs (colony-forming units) before each treatment.