Virginia Research Day 2022

Medical Student Research Cl inical

17 Ongoing Analysis Of Changes In Disinfectant Practices Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic In Dental Clinics Located In Arizona, Florida And Michigan

Alekhya Peruri; Hannah Paros; Brooke D. Burwell; Caitlyn Snead; Marisela Davis; Theresa J. McCann; Terry C Hrubec Corresponding author: bduggins@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM Virginia

Dental offices in these states were contacted and surveyed about changes in disinfectant product use within different areas of their practice including the waiting area and patient rooms. Surveys of a number of practices in these states have found that 69.6% of practices have changed their disinfectant protocols and 8.7% have adjusted their disinfectant concentrations. This study is part of an ongoing project to assess changes in disinfection practices nationwide. Preliminary results indicate that the majority of dental offices have adjusted their cleaning products and protocols in response to SAR-CoV-2.

toxicity in animals. Recent studies have shown that 80% of the population contains QAC residues in their blood, and these are correlated in a dose dependent manner with markers of inflammation and inhibition of mitochondrial function. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, indoor exposure to QACs has increased. Given the increased use of disinfectants in healthcare facilities, it is likely that workers have been increasingly exposed to these potentially harmful disinfectant products. Dental offices are unique in that patients must remove their masks to be treated, which puts individuals at a higher risk of transmission of the virus. This study aims to assess the changes in disinfection products and procedures in the dental healthcare settings of Arizona, Florida and Michigan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesize that the use of disinfectants that contain QACs has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dental Healthcare Professionals are continuously in contact with disinfecting chemicals throughout their workday. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfection practices have been reevaluated. SAR-CoV-2 can linger on surfaces for up to nine days, making consistent disinfection of communal surfaces vital. Of the 516 disinfecting products listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that are effective against SARS-CoV-2, 241 contain a Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC) as an active ingredient. Since their discovery in 1915, the use of QAC containing products has increased and are now used in a variety of products including detergents, emulsifying agents, deodorizers, hair products, and surface disinfectants. Though long believed to be harmless, QAC exposure has been linked to asthma and contact dermatitis in humans, and developmental, reproductive and immune

This research was funded in part by VCOM.

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