Hazardous Noise Level Measured at a Dental Clinic: A Comprehensive Study
Authors: Isabella Gantman, DDS 2023; nico scordakis, DDS 2023; Samantha Rodriguez; Emily Bernard
Mentors: Dr. Bina Surti; Dr. Karen Schulze; Dr. Fadi Najem; Dr. Jiong Hu
OKU Senior Excellence Award (DDS)
The sounds, sights, and smells of a dental office have always been at the forefront of patient dental anxiety. With this in mind, we set out to identify how deafening dental instruments can be. The dental handpieces, suction devices, and hygiene equipment such as the cavitron dental scaler noise levels were measured. In this study, both the hearing of the dentist and patient were analyzed along with the overall decibel level and frequencies to determine what is causing the most negative effect on the hearing of the patient as well as the operator and dental personnel. The materials used in this study were: saliva ejector, high speed evacuation suction, cavitron, slow speed handpiece, electric high speed handpiece, and air driven high speed handpiece. We used a combination of dental instruments simulating what is used in a clinical setting. The collaboration between dentists, dental students, audiologists, and audiology students was strategically used in this study to allow for this study to be highly effective and specialized.
Loading…
Reload document 
Open in new tab