Dentist Must Protect Their Hearing and here are 5 Reasons Why

August 09, 2018, Langley Dental Practice

. Handpieces, ultrasonic scalars, high suction, air compressors, and amalgamators are important sources of noise within dental clinics, therefore using dental hearing protection is an important safeguard against NIHL.

5 tips why dentists must protect their hearing:

1. To shield against NIHL caused during routine dental practice work.

2. Several studies indicated that dental professionals subjected daily to high-speed handpieces without using dental hearing protection showed higher levels of hearing loss than same-age staff with desk tasks.

3. The use of dental hearing protection devices such as dental earplugs enables dentists to work without distraction and in great comfort when using handpieces, ultrasonic scalers, and high suction devices.

4. There are also dental earplugs with active sound management which offer significant protection against dangerous noise levels. These allow decompression of HPD while sound levels are safe and allow effective communication much superior to passive earplugs which don't offer clear hearing and communicating.

5. Earplugs can reduce decibel ranges from 25 dB to higher capacities according to their specific noise reduction ratings of N25 to N33. This is far more powerful than placing cotton into the ear, which only reduces levels by 7 Db.

NIHL is a significant illness facing dentists oblivious to dental hearing protection devices like ear plugs as well as the hazards of constant exposure to sound in dental clinics. It is necessary to increase awareness about the advantages of hearing protection devices for dental professionals.

How can a dentist protect there hearing and still communicate effectively in the office?

The major difference between the big Ears’ the One dental earplug is that it allows for a certain limit of noise exposure. The two filters work simultaneously thereby controlling the type of noise that ends up in the inner ear. From the outside of the ear, the primary filter regulates the amount of noise entering the earplug from both the natural environment and the dental surgery equipment. Unlike other earplugs with a single filter, the One dental earplug has two to filters which collectively work together to regulate the amount of noise entering the inner ear.
On the second filter, the One dental earplug has the secondary filter installed. The secondary filter ensures only the natural voices access the inner ear. Additionally, it only allows up to 85dB. This implies that only the allowed noise pressure can penetrate the earplug. As for the One dental earplug, the allowed noise include natural sounds such as of the patient and the surgery crew. This earplug bars other types of noises from reaching the inner ear.
In addition, the dental earplug regulates the intensity of the noise that penetrates to the inner ear. This standardized feature does not discriminate the source of the noise. Therefore, even if the noise comes from the natural source, the secondary filter will filter it out. For instance, the earplug cancels the noise from a patient that screams exposing the eardrum of the dentist to a noise pressure exceeding 85dB. On the other hand, the earplug allows any other natural sound with pressure below 85dB into the eardrum.

Comments