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Guest Editorial

The role of far-UVC in dentistry

Douglas Clarkson

From Volume 51, Issue 2, February 2024 | Pages 83-84

Authors

Douglas Clarkson

Research Fellow at UHCW NHS Trust in Coventry and has specific interests in medical devices using optical technologies.

Articles by Douglas Clarkson

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Article

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a significant impact on all health provision sectors. Within dental care, service disruption has been particularly problematic due to the high level of patient contact and the potential for generation of aerosols during treatment sessions. The service, however, remains vulnerable to future coronavirus-type pandemics.

It has been known for some time that the ultraviolet wavelength of 254 nm, in the UVC band, produced from mercury vapour discharge tubes, has the ability to decontaminate clinical environments,¹ and its effectiveness has also been demonstrated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.² This has been the conventional basis of systems for rapid decontamination of clinical areas in, for example, critical care environments and accident and emergency departments. The UVC treatment method using 254 nm was typically only applied to individual room spaces owing to the risk of exposure of clinical staff in ‘open’ clinical areas.

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