Objective: The purpose of the present observational study was to evaluate the bacterial load in the air following various dental procedures.
Methods: Air contamination following seven aerosol-generating dental procedures was assessed. The air volume was sampled by a wet cyclone collector for 10 min during 10 sessions of the following procedures: air-polishing, ultrasonic instrumentation, manual instrumentation, rubber cup polishing, cavity preparation with a 1:5 red contra-angle, cavity preparation with turbine and Low Volume Evacuator (LVE), and cavity preparation with turbine and High Volume Evacuator (HVE).