PPE in the Dental Practice: A Complete Guide to Protective Equipment

Gloves, masks, eyewear and gowns: how to choose the correct personal protective equipment for every clinical and sterilization phase, according to filtration classes and reference EN standards.

Personal protective equipment in the dental practice doesn't just protect the operator: correct use also reduces the risk of cross-transmission to the patient, closing the loop on the standard precautions the World Health Organization recommends for any healthcare setting, regardless of the known or presumed health status of the person being treated. In dentistry, exposure to blood, saliva and aerosols generated by rotary instruments makes this category of equipment particularly central compared to other branches of outpatient medicine.

For the respiratory tract, the main distinction is between the surgical mask — a medical device that mainly protects the patient from droplets emitted by the operator — and FFP filtering facepieces, genuine personal protective equipment certified to standard UNI EN 149:2009. FFP2 guarantees a minimum filtering efficiency of 92% and retains particles larger than 10 microns, while FFP3 reaches 98% filtering efficiency and retains particles down to 0.1 microns; the latter is indicated in the presence of patients with suspected airborne-transmissible disease or during high-aerosol-generating procedures.

For hand protection, disposable clinical gloves in latex, nitrile or vinyl must meet the requirements of standard UNI EN 374 for protection from microorganisms, while during decontamination and manual instrument washing, sturdier gloves are recommended, often in aramid fiber or kevlar-reinforced, able to withstand both accidental cuts from sharp instruments and contact with concentrated disinfectant solutions. For eyes and face, polycarbonate glasses with side protection or anti-splash visors protect against splashes of blood, saliva and impression materials, a risk often underestimated but common during removal of organic residue from instruments before sterilization.

Gowns, finally, should be chosen based on the type of risk expected: those in non-woven fabric certified to standards EN 14126 and ISO 16604 offer adequate protection against blood and biological fluids and are meant for single use, thereby avoiding the cross-contamination risks tied to reusing traditional fabric garments. Choosing and maintaining PPE isn't just a matter of regulatory compliance (Legislative Decree 81/2008 and Legislative Decree 475/1992): it's an integral part of the practice's safety culture, and as such should be included in periodic training for all staff, not just those performing direct clinical procedures.

On Oralzon you'll find the full range of personal protective equipment for the dental practice, from certified FFP2 and FFP3 masks to clinical and decontamination gloves, down to eyewear, visors and disposable gowns compliant with reference EN standards.