VICINITY
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding viral carriage in bioaerosols using dentistry as a model
IRAS ID
308903
Contact name
James Allison
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people were unsure whether the aerosols (tiny water droplets) that dentists’ drills create could carry the virus from infected patients’ mouths. New safety measures allowed dentists to see patients again during the pandemic, but we still don't fully know to what extent microorganisms like viruses and bacteria are transported from the mouth in these aerosols.
Everyone has microorganisms in their mouth and in this study, we will take saliva samples form patients as well as samples from the air and on surfaces during patients' dental treatment to see if we can detect these microorganisms in the dental surgery and whether these microorganisms come from the mouth. We will use DNA sequencing to look at which microorganisms are present in samples.
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0145
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jun 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion