The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Shahriyar Bazzazpour; Masoumeh Rahmatinia; Seyed Reza Mohebbi; Mostafa Hadei; Abbas Shahsavani; Philip K Hopke; Behzad Houshmand; Alireza Raeisi; Ahmad Jonidi Jafari; Maryam Yarahmadi; Mohsen Farhadi; Vajihe Hasanzadeh; Majid Kermani; Mohmmad Hossien Vaziri; Mohammad Tanhaei; Mohammad Reza Zali; Mohammad Reza Alipour

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-15607-6

The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Dec;29(57):85586-85594. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-15607-6. Epub 2021 Aug 3.

Authors

Shahriyar Bazzazpour¹, Masoumeh Rahmatinia¹, Seyed Reza Mohebbi², Mostafa Hadei³, Abbas Shahsavani^{4

5}, Philip K Hopke^{6

7}, Behzad Houshmand⁸, Alireza Raeisi⁹, Ahmad Jonidi Jafari¹⁰, Maryam Yarahmadi¹¹, Mohsen Farhadi¹¹, Vajihe Hasanzadeh¹, Majid Kermani¹⁰, Mohmmad Hossien Vaziri¹², Mohammad Tanhaei¹³, Mohammad Reza Zali², Mohammad Reza Alipour¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ashahsavani@gmail.com.
⁵ Air Quality Health and Climate Change Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ashahsavani@gmail.com.
⁶ Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
⁷ Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, 13699, USA.
⁸ Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁹ Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
¹⁰ Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
¹¹ Environmental and Occupational Health Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
¹² Workplace Health Promotion Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
¹³ Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

In the indoor environment of dental clinics, dental personnel and patients are exposed to a risk of infection because of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via particles or droplets. This study investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics in Tehran, Iran. Air sampling was done (n = 36) collecting particulate samples on PTFE filters at flow rates of 30 to 58 L/min. The samples were analyzed with novel coronavirus nucleic acid diagnostic real-time PCR kits. Only 13 out of 36 samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Logistic regression showed that sampling site's volume, PM_2.5 concentration, number of people, and number of active patient treatment units were significantly positively related with the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Thus, strategies to control the spread of COVID-19 should include reducing the number of infected people in dental clinics, adding filtration systems, and/or improving ventilation conditions.

Keywords: Airborne transmission; COVID-19; Dental clinics; Indoor air; PM2.5; SARS-CoV-2.

MeSH terms

Air Pollution, Indoor*
COVID-19*
Dental Clinics
Humans
Iran / epidemiology
Pandemics / prevention & control
RNA, Viral
SARS-CoV-2

Substances

RNA, Viral

Grants and funding

24241/Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences