On June 4, the Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (FMAE) Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) handed over the Dent-In instrument to the Faculty of Dentistry (FKG) Universitas Padjajaran (UNPAD) at the Campus Hall of FKG UNPAD. The event was represented by Dr. Satrio Wicaksono, the leader of the Dent-In development team, to Dr. drg. Dudi Aripin, Sp.KG (K), the dean of FKG UNPAD. In the same event, the collaboration agreement between FMAE ITB and FKG UNPAD was signed by Prof. Dr. Ir. Tatacipta Dirgantara, MT, the dean of FMAE ITB and Dr. drg. Dudi Aripin, Sp.KG (K).

During the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through droplets or aerosols from the patients at the dentistry clinic to the Dentist is very high. This leads to disadvantages for the patients who are not able to get dental treatment due to the shutdown of dentistry clinic service. Therefore, the FMAE Biomechanics team developed the initiative to create an Extraoral Aerosol Suction device that is capable of efficiently isolating and absorbing aerosols from patients’ mouths. The device will reduce the transmission risk of the virus during the dentistry treatment. The name of this device is Dent-In, which an acronym for “Dental Indonesia”.

Dent-In works by absorbing the air around patients’ mouth through nozzle cup that is connected to a vacuum blower. The air, which likely contains viruses, will be flowed into a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. Dent-In uses a HEPA H14 type filter with a staggering 99.99% effectiveness. The filtered air will then be illuminated by UV light for a further sterilization process before emitted out from the device.

Similar medical devices, such as HVE (High Volume Evacuator) and other Extraoral Aerosol Suction devices, already exist in the market. However, the typical filtering efficiency of those devices is only about 90%. The filtering effectiveness of such instruments is very important since the size of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is very small. The price of such instruments is also very expensive and they are typically only available in small quantities. Dent-In then aims to solve such problems by offering high efficiency with a target for mass production. Dent-In is equipped with a transparent hood that functions as a protector and a separator between the dentists and the patients. The transparent hood is one strong point of the Dent-In compared to other similar products. From the viewpoint of aerosol suction, the hood also improves the suction efficiency by providing a mechanism for trapping the air before it escapes; thus, giving better protection to Dentists.

FMAE Biomechanics team has created three prototypes, in which one of them has been handed over to FKG UNPAD; the team is now using the other prototypes for a further test and development of the instrument. The Dent-In project gladly acknowledged the financial support from LPDP and RISTEK-BRIN.