Air conditioning for dental practices is becoming increasingly popular if not essential for maintaining patient and dentist comfort as well as playing a part in prevention of disease. Air has long been recognised as a method of transmitting infection, toxins allergens, and other agents. In the dental surgery environment, there are not only high levels of bacteria; there is also anaesthetic gas, chemicals, high levels of heat and microorganisms that could cause disease.
In the day-to-day running of the dental surgery, personnel and patients are exposed to airborne materials on a much more concentrated level than in another environment. This puts dental personnel under stress who are at constant risk of infection. Although precautions such as eyewear, gloves and masks are used, the dental equipment mostly hand held tools generate a lot of aerosol (spray) that contains bacteria and toxins form the patient’s mouth.
Risks of Contamination
The exposure to these airborne materials means that air conditioning for dental practices is a necessity in order to eliminate some of these toxic hazards and improve the comfort of dental staff and patients in a healthier environment. Healthy air contains as few contaminants as possible, which is achieved by air conditioning, tailored for the special needs of the dental environment.
Controlling contamination through proper air filtration is essential for infection control and person safety.
A study that aimed to determine the airborne spread of bacteria during dental treatment, and contamination levels showed that the density of bacteria was spread across the whole surgery, even scoring higher in far corners. Given then that the effect of these contaminants is evident across the whole environment, air conditioning becomes a first line defence.
Solutions
Today’s air conditioning incorporates specific filters that remove all kinds of air particles such as pollen, dust, and other pollutants as well as harmful bacteria and viruses. Modern air conditioning for dental practices provides air cleansing, cooling, and dehumidification. Incorporation of heat pump technology with different air conditioning systems mean it is possible to use the same system for heating as well as cooling and air filtration.
In addition to the essential air filtration function, comfort in the surgery for dental staff and patients is supplied by air conditioning. Dental equipment generates a lot of heat which accompanied by the necessary dental lighting can make the room uncomfortably warm.
We will recommend specific air filters to suit the needs of the individual surgery and will advise on the most hygienic air conditioning system to suit the needs. Hygiene is essential in the dental sector and we pride ourselves on many successful installations that have improved the environment of many dental surgeries. Our accredited engineers are experts at tailoring solutions for specific sectors and we are happy to discuss your requirements with you any time.
We have a variety of air conditioning for dental practices solutions from affordable wall mounted systems, to VRF systems for the entire dental surgery. The different types of air conditioning for dental practices vary but may include the following options depending on your needs.
- Wall mounted systems are ideal for single room requirements.
- Ceiling cassette units are ceiling suspended and provide 4-way airflow. Up to four of these units may be connected to an outdoor unit.
- Under ceiling units are ceiling suspended giving powerful 1-way airflow. Up to four of these units may be connected to an outdoor unit.
- Ducted units fit into ceiling voids, leaving only the grille on show. This is a tidy option where there are suspended ceilings. They are an option but would not be first choice for dental surgeries as the kinds of bacterial air filters are limited.
- Integral units are designed for building in restricted planning zones or conservation areas. These systems do not require an outdoor unit.
- Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) or Variable Refrigerant Velocity (VRV) systems are suited to large dental surgeries with many individual dental consulting and treatment rooms.
Deciding what is best for your dental surgery can be daunting with the special considerations but our experienced and reputable company is on hand to guide you through the process so do not hesitate – contact us today.
No comments yet.