Hearing protection for the dental practice

In the treatment room, noise comes from many sources at once, such as the suction, the ultrasonic scaler, the turbine and the drill. In the past, this equipment often went above 80 dB(A), especially the high-speed drill. In the new practice room for dental students at UZ Leuven, the level is around 72 dB(A) with one chair and 74 dB(A) with more chairs. Even so, researchers at KU Leuven mainly name the high-speed drill and the suction as sources that can be harmful.

A measurement at the dental school of the University of Oklahoma gives more detail. Individual drills produced 70.4 to 83.6 dB(A) there. The suction went above 85 dB(A), up to 96.5 dB(A) when the suction opening was blocked.

Those are averages over 20 seconds. The Working Conditions Act works with a whole working day, so a peak above 85 dB(A) is not yet a daily dose above 85 dB(A). Work it out on the page how long is loud noise safe.

In 2021, KU Leuven compared the hearing of 100 Flemish dentists with that of 53 pharmacists. Noise-induced hearing loss was not more common among the dentists, but nuisance was. They were significantly more bothered by the noise of their equipment.

• 22% of the dentists had a low tolerance for noise, compared with 2% of the pharmacists.
• 7% suffered from tinnitus, compared with 2%.
• Only 15% sometimes wore hearing protection.

A 2025 review article in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Tandheelkunde, the Dutch dental journal, is stricter. Of the 12 studies with a control group, 8 found significantly more hearing loss among dental staff.

So the picture on hearing loss is not clear-cut, but on nuisance it is. The Leuven researchers recommend having your hearing tested regularly, putting the suction system in a separate room and wearing hearing protection.

You talk all day, with the patient in the chair and with your assistant on the other side. The Leuven researchers write that foam or rubber earplugs can get in the way of that communication. They recommend custom earplugs with a filter, because with those you keep hearing well at lower noise levels.

More attenuation is not better here. The DI filter with 26 dB SNR is made for construction and industry. According to Dynamic Ear Company, the maker of our filters, ordinary industrial earplugs often attenuate too much where it is not needed, which makes speech sound dull.

For dental care, a light filter is the obvious choice. According to the Dynamic Ear Company datasheets, a DR 10 attenuates the high frequencies by 11 dB and the mid frequencies by 5 dB, with an SNR of 9 dB. A DR 15 has an SNR of 16 dB. The DM 10 attenuates more evenly, 10 dB in the high frequencies and 6 dB in the mid and low frequencies. In custom earplugs, the attenuation can differ because of the fit.

The filters are interchangeable, so a lighter or stronger filter can later go in the same custom earplugs. Compare them in the filter finder.

With a blocked ear, your own voice sounds hollow and loud. That is called the occlusion effect. The filter material of the DR series ventilates, and according to the manufacturer that reduces this effect.

A custom earplug belongs to one person. Hard acrylic is smooth, so earwax comes off easily. Soft silicone is more comfortable if you wear them all day.

Clean them after every use with a soft, slightly damp cloth, brush earwax away from the filter opening and let them dry. Keep them in the case, not loose in the treatment room. Do not use alcohol wipes, solvents or ordinary cleaning products, even if they are at hand in the practice. They can damage the material and the filter. If you are unsure about a product, ask us first. Read more in cleaning and looking after custom earplugs.

Less is known about dental technicians. An Italian study from 2019 measured the noise in four dental laboratories with 51 dental technicians in total. They used equipment such as model trimmers, polishing motors, sandblasters and micromotors. Daily exposure was between 71.4 and 76.2 dB(A), so below 80 dB(A). In 92.1% of the dental technicians, hearing matched their age and sex.

That says something about those four labs, not about yours. If in doubt, have it measured. Even below 80 dB(A), a light filter can soften the sharp sound of grinding and blasting.

If 10 or more people have their ear impressions taken, our specialists come to the practice. Dentists, dental hygienists, assistants and dental technicians all count. Schedule the appointments one after another, for example in a block without patients. The impression material sets in about five minutes.

With fewer than 10 people, or if someone is not there that day, the ear impressions are taken at a partner hearing centre. Our own lab, Audiform in Kilder, makes the custom earplugs. They are ready about three weeks after the ear impressions are taken, marked for each employee and with a case.

Everyone chooses a colour from clear, black, white, green, red and blue, or a custom colour by arrangement. From 10 pairs, your practice's logo goes on them, and for fewer pairs a standard logo. Our logo print is patent pending. They are PPE-3 hearing protectors, compliant with EN 352, with certified filters. For yourself, you design them in the Designlab.