- Dental surgeons are on the front line facing the Covid-19 epidemic.
- To protect patients and practitioners, a Toulouse company has created a bubble allowing them to work without being in contact with micro-droplets.
Head over the mouth of dozens of patients, breathing the famous micro-droplets present in the air, dentists are on the front line facing the coronavirus epidemic.
As with H1N1 a few years ago, they had to cope during the confinement period to treat urgent cases of patients, while their offices had closed for all other care.
They have since reopened, but with a sword of Damocles above their heads. A risky situation for both the patient and the practitioner who pushed the professionals to cogitate on a solution. Some opted for a Decathlon mask adapted to filter the air, others for operating areas around the mouth.
With the help of engineers, a Toulouse company, co-founded by dentists, has developed a bubble. “At the beginning, it was made of plexiglass, heavy. We tested eight prototypes before the last one. This bubble plugs into the aspiration of the armchair and weighs 1.1 kg, compared to 3 kg in the first version ”, underlines Johan Bouysse, general manager of Occisphere.
Removable, washable
Sold 420 euros, it is completely removable and washable. Composed of biomaterials, everything is duplicated in the kit, which allows the dentist to put one set in a disinfection tank while the other is used.
Positioned on the patient, it allows the dentist to be able to work without breathing the air of his patient. And to repeat acts that are still strongly discouraged, such as scaling or air polishing. A way to limit contamination, in addition to health rules.
"At the beginning there was no question of marketing it but the industrialist with whom we work told us that there was a real need, so we created a company in fifteen days", continues the manager of the young structure which received the approval of the council of the order of the dental surgeons of Tarn, department where exerts one of the co-founders.
So far, seven bubbles have been sold, and several are being tested in dental offices where patients say they are reassured by this new protection.
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