Aerosol generated by handpieces is one of the causes that increases the infection risk at dental practices. We performed an experiment to visualize aerosol generated by power-driven scalers that are used very often at dental practices.

The filter is applied from elapsed time 3 sec. to 4.5 sec. Each water volume is set at 25ml/min. The experiment finds that the ultrasonic scaler starts widely splashing at 2.5 sec. and the motion becomes more obvious past 3 sec. On the other hand, the Supersonic scaler keeps generating about the same amount of splashing from the beginning to the end.

In general, the smaller airborne particles are, the longer they remain airborne, and the wider they spread. This also applies to aerosol generated by the ultrasonic scaler. The flow of particles in the video shows that the ultrasonic scaler generates smaller particles than ones generated by the Supersonic scalers.

The size difference of particles between the Supersonic scalers and the ultrasonic scaler is caused by their frequency differences; the Supersonic frequency is 17,000Hz, the ultrasonic frequency is 20,000 – 50,000Hz. Applying the logic above in reverse, the Supersonic scaler with its own unique vibration generates less aerosol in the air as the video shows.