Journal Published Online: 10 July 2020
Volume 49, Issue 2

Testing and Correlating Speed, Torque, Airflow, and Noise on Dental Turbines

CODEN: JTEVAB

Abstract

The noise of dental turbines is mainly correlated with the anxiety and discomfort of patients and the work safety of the dental professionals. Rotational speed, torque, airflow, and noise have an essential role in the proper performance of dental air turbines. This work aimed to address the following question: how do rotational speed, torque, and airflow correlate with noise in dental high-speed handpieces? Three new air turbines of nine different commercial brands were essayed for rotational speed, torque, noise level (A-weighting), and airflow in agreement with ISO 14457:2017, Dentistry – Handpieces and Motors (27 handpieces) 3 times a day and for 5 days under controlled air pressure. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s test (α = 0.05) showed differences among brands for speed, torque, noise, and airflow (210.17–397.93 kr/min, 0.03–0.15 N·cm, 68.80–82.16 dB, and 29.6–37.8 L/min, respectively). Speed (r =–0.7) and airflow (r = –0.6) showed an inverse correlation with noise: the higher the speed, the higher the airflow and the lower the noise. Torque showed no correlation with the speed (r = –0.1). As a conclusion, dental handpieces achieving the maximum airflow and speed can produce lower noise.

Author Information

Tirapelli, Camila
Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Café, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
de Freitas, Bruna Neves
Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
de Sousa Pereira, Raony Môlim
Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
Pereira, Antonio Henrique Alves
ATCP Physical Engineering, Rua Leda Vassimon, 735, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
Pages: 6
Price: $25.00
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Stock #: JTE20200102
ISSN: 0090-3973
DOI: 10.1520/JTE20200102