Prediction of COVID-19 infection in dental clinic by CFD and Wells-Riley model, identifying safe area and proper ventilation velocity

The COVID-19 virus is recognized worldwide as a significant public health threat. A dental clinic is one of the most dangerous places in the COVID-19 epidemic, and disease transmission is rapid. Planning is essential to create the right conditions in the dental clinic. In this study, the cough of an infected person is examined in a 9 x 6 x 3 m3 area. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) is applied to simulate the flow field and to determine the dispersion path. The innovation of this research is checking the risk of infection for each person in the designated dental clinic, choosing the suitable velocity for ventilation, and identifying safe areas. In the first step, the effects of different ventilation velocities on the dispersion of virus-infected droplets are investigated, and the most appropriate ventilation flow velocity has been identified. Then, the results of the presence or absence of a dental clinic separator shield on the spread of respiratory droplets have been identified. Finally, the risk of infection (by the Wells-Riley equation) is assessed, and safe areas are identified. The effect of RH on droplet evaporation in this dental clinic is assumed to be 50%. The NTn values in an area with a separator shield are less than 1%. When there is a separator shield, the infection risk of people in A3 and A7 (the other side of the separator shield) is reduced from 23% to 4%, and 21% to 2%, respectively.

Automated summary

This study examines the conditions and safety measures for COVID-19 virus transmission in a dental clinic through simulating flow fields and assessing infection risks, effectively reducing the risk of infection for individuals.