Indoor environmental quality and subjective perceptions in multi-chair dental offices

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in multi-chair dental offices is strongly related to treatment effectiveness, patient comfort, and dental professionals' occupational exposure. This study conducts comprehensive field measurements and questionnaire surveys to assess the IEQ in two multi-chair dental offices of the Periodontal Department (PD) and the Endodontics Department (ED) in a stomatological hospital in Changsha during the transitional season, summer, and winter. It first reveals the IEQ status and then examines its impact on the perceptions of both dental professionals and patients. The results indicate no considerable difference in IEQ between the PD and the ED. For the measurement, the worst IEQ is observed in winter, with air temperature, relative humidity, PM2.5 concentration, and sound pressure level not meeting the prescribed limits. The worst case is for the PM2.5 concentration, where the highest daily average level is 1.6-4.0 times higher than the limit. However, according to the questionnaire surveys, the highest participant satisfaction score of the overall environment is also observed in winter (i.e., 1.0). The inconsistent results reflected from the measurements and surveys demonstrate the complex influence of a multi-parameter environment on subjective perceptions. Additionally, dental professionals as long-term occupants of the dental offices, report a lower level of overall environmental satisfaction (i.e., 0.38) compared to patients (i.e., 0.86), especially regarding air quality and acoustic environment. These findings are important information for improving environmental standards and formulating accurate environmental control methods, which then contribute to enhanced health, well-being, and performance of both dental professionals and patients.