Evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of the nanoshield barrier on potentially contaminated materials used by students in dental clinics: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Environmental surfaces and devices routinely used in dental clinics are frequently exposed to microbial contamination from aerosols, droplets, and hand contact, posing a potential risk for cross-infection among patients and healthcare personnel.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of the Nano shield barrier (Nanoveu) on mobile phones, keyboards, computer mouse, and case history files commonly used by dental students in a clinical setting.

METHODOLOGY: Nanoveu (Nanoveu Ltd), based on nano-shield technology, is a copper-based nanoparticle antimicrobial film. A total of 1000 items (250 mobile phones, 250 keyboards, 250 computer mouse, and 250 case history files) were included in the study. Each device type was equally divided into two halves. One-half was covered with Nanoveu (intervention group) and the other half was covered with a conventional plastic barrier (control group). After two weeks of exposure during dental procedures, swab samples were collected using HiCulture transport swabs, cultured on 5% sheep blood agar and Mac-Conkey agar, and incubated aerobically at 37°C for 24 hours. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests through IBM-SPSS.

RESULTS

Nanoveu reduced TBC by approximately 63% on mobile phones (596.96 vs 218.96), 70% on case history files (455.04 vs 135.52), 70% on keyboards (797.92 vs 240.16), and 68% on computer mouse (630.4 vs 199.28) compared to the conventional plastic barrier.

CONCLUSION

Nanoveu demonstrated significant antimicrobial efficacy against bacterial contamination on commonly used dental clinic surfaces, supporting its application as a protective barrier in clinical practice.