Assessment of Risk Mitigation Strategies During COVID-19

Aerosol-generating dental procedures including utilization of high-speed handpieces and ultrasonic scaling have demonstrated droplets between 25 and 50mm in diameter that are distributed up to 2.4m (8 ft) away from where they are generated.¹⁰⁹ Given this distribution, mitigation strategies have focused on 1) reducing microbial loads in the droplets, 2) evacuation procedures to reduce aerosol and splatter, and 3) personal protective equipment.