AIM: to appraise, in vivo, the contamination gerated by the aerosol using an slow-speed handpiece during dental prophylaxis. METHODS: the study utilized an group of 15 subjects and was divided into two phases. Both phases realized pumice prophylaxis on the superior quadrants during two minutes. In the second phase, 10 minutes previous of procedure, subjects rinsed with 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate during one minute. Microbial samples were collected on blood agar plates, positioned: one on dental hygienist and assistant’s face and one 30cm from the subject’s mouth. The sample plates were then incubated for 48 hours at 37ºC. Analysis was based on the number of colony forming units (CFU). RESULTS: using the paired t-test, the authors found that rinsing previous to prophylaxis, with 0.12% chlorhexidine, reduced significantly mean quantity CFU on three positions studied (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: the data of the our study suggest that the use of 0.12% chlorhexidine reduces considerably the number of microorganisms generated during prophylaxis with slow-speed.
Aerosol; Cross-contamination; Prophylaxis
