Interference of electrical dental equipment with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether electromagnetic interference with implantable cardioverter-defibrilllators (ICDs) occurs during the use of electrical dental equipment. Material and methods: Ten different electrical dental devices were tested for their ability to interfere with the function of three types of ICDs at different intervals for 90 seconds, during which the ICD activity was monitored by telemetry. Results: Only one ultrasonic bath cleaner interfered with two of the ICDs tested up to a distance of 12.5 cm, both during continuous use and intermittent operation. In contrast, the dental chair, electrosurgical unit, both handpieces, ultrasonic tooth scaler, both amalgamators and two other types of ultrasonic bath cleaners failed to produce interference at the minimum distance of 2.5 cm. Conclusion: Our results suggest that normal clinical use of dental electrical equipment does not have significant effects on the ICDs tested. © 2007 Nature Publishing Group.