Download “Tommy Can You Hear Me?”

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TECHNOLOGY
TODAY
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“Tommy Can You Hear Me?”
Paul Feuerstein, DMD
studying this issue for several
years. He states, “Noise-induced
According to Sam Shamardi, DMD, hearing loss is permanent and
a Boston-based periodontist who has irreversible and nearly a guarantee to some degree for all
been studying dentistry’s noise level dental professionals. Noise, like
issues, noise-induced hearing loss is smoking or sun exposure, is a
cumulative and additive pronearly a guarantee to some degree
cess, so even shorter exposures
below industry standards durfor all dental professionals.
ing our workdays will accumulate during time to cause serious
damage.
ears of playing in rock bands as well as attend“The dental literature and the ADA as early as
ing concerts have put a strain on my hearing, 1974 clearly show our environment causes damwhich is often a good excuse for not hearing age—handpieces, suctions, ultrasonics, lab equiporders from my wife or coworkers. Auditory dam- ment, and even solvents can contribute to hearing
age is well documented, and OSHA requires hear- loss and other significant systemic health issues.
ing protection for people working in loud noise And we are doing nothing to protect ourselves.
environments. In its literature, it clearly states this:
“Noises we are exposed to at work each day are
“Exposure to high levels of noise can cause perma- louder than we perceive. The shrill of the suction
nent hearing loss.” And neither surgery nor a hear- and high pitch make us cringe, and we all directly or
ing aid can help to correct this type of hearing loss. indirectly know colleagues with tinnitus and hearShort-term exposure to loud noise can also ing damage, yet we have never thought to ask why.
cause a temporary change in hearing or tinnitus.
“The dental literature is saturated with disturbOSHA sets a permissible exposure limit on work- ing statistics. Dental professionals consistently are
place noise, which is 90 dB during an 8-hour day. found to have poorer hearing at the standard 3- and
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 4-kHz levels compared to other health professionHealth recommends that “all worker exposure to als of similar age/gender (source: Ahmed, Tolennoise be controlled below a level equivalent to 85 tino, and Gurbuz). Rytkonen and Baren found that
dB for 8 hours to minimize occupational, noise- ultrasonic noise levels for the high-speed handinduced hearing loss.” It suggest that noise levels piece reach can 89 dB, with ultrasonic scalers and
be controlled or if not possible that “hearing pro- high-speed air turbines reaching 107 dB and 115 dB
tection devices such as earmuffs and plugs be con- respectively. Folmer showed different high-speed
sidered as an acceptable but a less desirable option.” handpiece brands reaching ranges of 90 dB to 115
How does this relate to the dental practice? For one dB, while Wilson showed hygienists utilizing ultrathing, the noise of the handpiece (the greatest offender) sonic instruments having ‘significantly worse hearis not continuous for 8 hours a day, so there is no real ing thresholds compared to non-users.’ And Lehto’s
requirement; however, studies do point to dental pro- 15-year follow-up study showed significant high
fessionals being affected. I have been talking with Sam frequency hearing loss in both ears for both genders
Shamardi, a Boston-based periodontist who has been across all age groups.”
Y
Typical noise levels in a dental practice.
DENTISTRYTODAY.COM • MAY
2016
Sam Shamardi, DMD.
The DI15 Electronic Earplug.
One might think that simple devices such as
small sponges placed in the ears should reduce
noise levels. There are also several products in the
marketplace that act as baffles, which reduce the
amount of sound that comes into the ear. However,
this also comes with the muffling of sounds, and this
is not really desirable, for example, when speaking
to the chairside assistant or listening to a patient.
Some may think that noise cancelling headphones
could be an answer. There are a number of negatives. They cancel all external sounds including
familiar noises of instruments being used as well
as some outside voices—not a good thing for interoffice communication. Also, the better devices are
oversized ear-covering headphones, which would
surely be in the way. Dr. Shamardi has devised a better, more high-tech solution—he has developed the
DI15 Electronic Earplug. He explains: “The DI15 is
revolutionary for our field and the only product of
its kind. Unlike foam or filters, which significantly
muffle sounds and compromise communication
with patients and staff, the DI15 uses a high-tech
microcircuit developed in the United States that
allows for all sounds to be heard 100% naturally,
with no distortion, despite having a sealed, plugged
ear. At the same time, noises in the high frequency/
decibel range are specifically targeted and instantly
compressed to safe levels. The result is an environment where communication is not compromised,
and hearing damage is prevented.”
To obtain more information about hearing
issues in the dental practice, Dr. Shamardi can be
contacted at [email protected]. For
more details on the DI15, visit his website, located
at dentalinnovationsllc.net.
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