Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Suction System for Dental Aerosols
Background of the invention
(a) Field of the Invention
This invention, a suction system for dental aerosols, is for collecting
contaminated aerosols generated
during dental procedures as a means of lessening the possibility of dental
professionals of contracting
infectious diseases.
(b) Description of Prior Art
Accordingly, when dental professionals are treating their patients, they
generally will wear masks as
protection from their patients. However, in the process of dental treatment,
powered instruments such as
dental hand pieces and ultrasonic cleaners produce significant force which
then causes the patient's
saliva and blood to be ejected out from the patient's mouth in an aerosol
form. This saliva-blood-water
mix forms a mist that spreads all over in the air. If the patient is infected
with high-risk infectious diseases
that can be contracted through saliva, such as a Coronavirus infection, the
operators cannot ascertain
that they have actually blocked the infectious aerosol with only their masks.
Previously, the standard of
care during dental treatment was a Level-3 mask and eye protection, which has
been found to be
insufficient protection with regards to aerosolised infectious material. This
invention improves on existing
methods of evacuating aerosolised material from the operating space in a
manner that is reasonably
nonintrusive, cost efficient, and effective.
Furthermore, the other patients and administrative staff do not wear masks and
hence dental practices
have become an effective vector for aerosolised infectious diseases.
Summary of the Invention
In view of this, the inventor has devoted research effort and discovered that
by placing a high-volume
suction collector near the patient's chin, the aerosolised liquids produced
during dental procedures will be
inhaled by said collector and will be released from the equipment into a safer
area. Consequently, the
possibility of contracting infectious diseases during dental procedures will
be lowered.
For these reasons, the main objective of this invention is to provide suction
equipment for dental
operatories that primarily comprises a means of suction, a collector, and the
appropriate tubing and
ducting to connect said means of suction and said collector together. This
system removes infectious
aerosols away from the operatory, where it can cause further disease, and
releases it into an area where
it can not cause such issues.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a suction system for dental
operatories which has
attachable and disposable collectors. The collectors can be replaceable and
therefore will not infect other
persons because of having contact with the patients.
Another objective of this invention is to allow a single system to service as
many dental operatories as
required. Allowing for a system of ducting to connect multiple collectors, for
cost-efficiency, to multiple
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means of suction, for reliability and dependability, makes this invention
superior to other methods that
have been developed previously.
The following detailed explanations will make the other objectives of this
invention and the detailed
structure become clearer, at the same time, with reference to the enclosed
drawings, one will have more
understanding on the technology and contents of this invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a drawing of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a drawing of a collector of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As illustrated in FIG. 1, this invention of a suction system for dental
operatories mainly comprises a
collector 10, which is attached to an adjustable hose 13, which runs through
arm 12, and is connected by
ducting 14 to a means of high volume suction 16.
The collector 10 can be adjusted to various positions and angles using arm 12.
The high volume suction
source 16 has an air inlet 18 and air exhaust 20.
This embodiment is designed such that the arm 12 is integrated directly with
the dental chair unit 30. The
arm 12 is rigid with joints that can pivot and articulate, allowing the
collector 10 to be moved into a desired
position. The collector 10 is generally funnel-shaped, with the larger open
end facing towards the patient
32. Inside the hollow arm 12 is a flexible suction hose 13 that extends from
the fixed ducting 14 to the
collector 10. Said flexible suction hose 13 has a smooth bore to minimize
material buildup and is
chemical resistant. It has a slightly corrugated outer helix to promote
abrasion resistance and resist
collapsing under suction. The fixed ducting 14 in this embodiment is composed
of large-bore ABS pipe
which is also smooth inside to allow air to flow easily and to facilitate
cleaning. Metal ducting will typically
be used for systems that serve more than one operatory.
As shown in FIG. 2, this invention also can integrate a light 22 into the
collector 10 to aid with
visualisation.
As shown in FIG. 1, when this invention is used in practice, arm 12 will bend
such that the collector 10 is
positioned directly in front of the chin of the patient 32. When a dentist or
dental hygienist uses equipment
that creates an aerosol, such as a high speed hand piece or ultrasonic
cleaner, said aerosol will be pulled
into the means of suction 16 via collector 10. For illumination purposes, a
spotlight comprising a
bulb 22 and a reflector 24 may be mounted on the collector 10. This collector
10 may be one that is
disposable.
While the present invention has been described in connection with specific
embodiments thereof and in a
specific use, various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.
The scope of the claims should not
be limited by the embodiment or the examples given but should be given the
broadest interpretation
consistent with the description as a whole.
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