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Hearing-damage Risk and Communication Interference in Dental Practice

Department of Mechanical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102

T.K. Vaidyanathan

New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey 07103

W.R. Cinotti

New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey 07103

S.M. Cohen

New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey 07103

S.J. Wang

Department of Mechanical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102

The use of high-speed air-turbine handpieces, operated at 300, 000 to 400, 000 revolutions per minute, has led to concern over the possibility of noise-induced hearing loss. Sound levels were measured in clinical settings and in a pre-clinical laboratory for estimation of hearing-damage risk among dentists, and the extent of communication interference. Octave-band sound pressure levels were obtained with use of a Fast-Fourier-Transform analyzer and associated instrumentation.

The results of this study indicate that the sound energy contribution of a typical dental practice is about 8% to 12% of the dentist's average 24-hour noise exposure. However, noise levels during dental procedures result in an articulation index of 0.21 to 0.37, corresponding to understanding of about 18% to 48% of nonsense syllables and 52% to 90% of sentences. It appears that hearing-damage risk is slight among dentists using modern equipment. However, further noise control in handpieces is necessary so that error-free communication during dental procedures can be ensured.

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Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 69, No. 2, 489-493 (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345900690021401


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This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Wilson, C.E. Articles by Wang, S.J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wilson, C.E. Articles by Wang, S.J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?