Dr. Brett Duane and his co-authors in the United Kingdom had questions about the environmental impact of this increase and how different types of PPE compared when considering environmental sustainability. “My research team is a collection of specialists, students, and colleagues interested in understanding the life cycle assessment of products,” says Dr. Duane. “In the past few years we’ve modeled and published life cycle assessments of seven different health care and oral health care products including examination kits, hand sanitizer and dental procedures.” Environmental Impact of PPE The COVID-19 pandemic changed safety guidelines for personal protective equipment (PPE) in dentistry, significantly increasing the amount of PPE used in dental practices. To meet the increase in PPE demand, the World Health Organization called for a 40% increase in PPE manufacturing in the early months of 2020. Dr. Brett Duane is an associate professor of dental science at Trinity College Dublin. He will be speaking at the Ontario Dental Association Annual Spring Meeting, May 11–13, 2023 (asm.oda.ca). Dr. Duane is a regular contributor to the British Dental Journal and one of the leading researchers in environmentally sustainable dentistry. 18 | 2023 | Issue 1
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