Open Access“COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF PULSE RATE, OXYGEN SATURATION AND RESPIRATORY RATE AMOUNG DENTAL SURGEONS USING N95 FFR AND HALF FACEPIECE ELASTOMERIC RESPIRATORS: A CLINICAL STUDY”
Author(s) -
B Radhika,
Amal Hari,
Kith P Jose,
Rashmi S Pattanshetty,
Kirupakaran Arun
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
paripex indian journal of research
Language(s) - English
DOI - 10.36106/paripex/8311204
Subject(s) - respirator , medicine , elastomer , respiratory rate , biomedical engineering , anesthesia , materials science , heart rate , composite material , blood pressure
Filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) are the most commonly used with the N95 FFR being the mostpopular overall. The number 95 signifying that it is at least 95% efficient in filtering particles. Elastomeric respirators areavailable as alternatives to disposable half mask filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), such as N95 FFRs, comparativelyelastomeric respirators have been found to have 60% higher filtration performance. Previous reports highlighted thatdifficulty in breathing resulted in limited tolerability when the N95 face mask was used for a prolonged period.Objectives: To evaluate and compare the physiological effect of N95 FFR and 3M elastomeric respirators on dentalsurgeons.Methodology: The study included 48 participants divided into 2 groups of 24 subjects each. Group 1 and Group 2included participants using 3M elastomeric respirators and N95 FFR and respectively. Non-smokers and systemicallyhealthy participants were included and the oxygen saturation, pulse rate and respiratory rate readings were takenbefore the start of the procedure, 30 mins after the start of the procedure and after the completion of procedure with astandard fingertip pulse-oximeter.Conclusion: N95 FFR is acknowledged by the majority of dental professionals, although the majority experiencedseveral perceived side effects. 3M elastomeric respirators have few advantages over the conventional N95 masks andcan be an effective alternative to N95 FFR.