Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Profusion of microplastics in dental healthcare units; morphological, polymer, and seasonal trends with hazardous consequences for humans

This study measured microplastic contamination in dental clinics during routine procedures and found thousands of particles in the air, with dental professionals inhaling significant amounts daily. Female dental workers faced slightly higher inhalation risks than male workers. The findings highlight that people working in healthcare settings with extensive plastic use face elevated microplastic exposure that could affect their respiratory health over time.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in Dentistry: A Review of Health and Environmental Risks

This narrative review examined the sources and health implications of microplastics in dental settings, identifying dental materials, procedures, and equipment as underrecognized sources of patient and clinician exposure. The review calls for greater awareness and standardized safety protocols in dentistry.

2025 Oral Sciences Reports
Article Tier 2

What every dentist needs to know about microplastics and dental materials.

This review outlined how common dental products — including toothpastes, composites, orthodontic appliances, and floss — contain or generate microplastics through degradation and use, and summarized the health risks from exposure via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact.

2026 General dentistry
Article Tier 2

What every dentist needs to know about microplastics and dental materials.

This review examines the sources and potential health risks of microplastics originating from dental products, including toothpastes, dental composites, aligners, and other clinical materials. Researchers found that dental products can release microplastic particles during use and degradation, contributing to both patient exposure and environmental contamination. The study calls for greater awareness among dental professionals about microplastic risks and the development of safer alternative materials.

2026 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Detection and Identification of Various Microplastics in Different Orthodontic Adhesives

Researchers found microplastics in four different brands of orthodontic adhesives used by dentists to attach braces. The microplastics were identified as fibers, fragments, and pellets containing various plastic polymers. While the amount is small compared to other plastic pollution sources, this study shows that dental materials can introduce microplastic particles into patients' mouths and eventually into the environment.

2024 Cureus 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and nanoplastics in dentistry: emerging sources, health implications, and mitigation pathways: a narrative review.

This review of existing research found that common dental materials and oral care products like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental fillings can release tiny plastic particles called microplastics into your mouth. Lab studies suggest these particles might cause inflammation and cell damage when they build up in mouth tissues, though scientists haven't yet proven they cause actual health problems in people. The good news is that dentists and patients can reduce exposure by using better suction systems during procedures and choosing oral care products that shed fewer plastic particles.

2026 The Saudi dental journal
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Release from Dental Materials: Environmental and Biological Implications

This review examines how dental materials—composites, adhesives, denture bases, and orthodontic appliances—degrade under mechanical, thermal, enzymatic, and chemical stressors to release microplastics, contributing to both direct patient exposure and environmental contamination.

2025 Journal of international oral health
Article Tier 2

Patterns and risks of microplastic release during primary oral care in Chinese residents

Researchers studied microplastic release from toothpaste and toothbrushes commonly used in China and found that both products shed significant numbers of plastic particles during normal use. While the levels from any single brushing session were considered low-risk, the cumulative annual release was substantial, reaching hundreds of thousands of particles per person per year from toothbrushes alone. The study highlights oral care products as an overlooked daily source of microplastic entering both people and the environment.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The unseen perils of oral-care products generated micro/nanoplastics on human health

This review reveals that everyday oral care products like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and dental materials release micro and nanoplastics into the mouth through normal use. These tiny particles are generated by mechanical friction, pH changes, and temperature shifts during brushing and dental procedures. Since the mouth is a direct entry point to the digestive system, this overlooked source of microplastic exposure could have significant implications for human health.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Negative Impact of Dental Wastewater on the Environment and Human Health: A Scoping Review

This scoping review analyzed evidence on dental wastewater as a source of environmental and health risks, finding that it contains physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards — including plastic particles from dental materials — that are inadequately managed in most healthcare settings.

2025 Water Environment Research
Article Tier 2

Impact of the dental sector on the environmental pollution: an overview

This review summarises the environmental impact of the dental sector, focusing on mercury from amalgam, microplastic release from resins and disposable materials, and high energy and water consumption. It evaluates green dentistry concepts and sustainable practice alternatives.

2025 Minerva Dental and Oral Science
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in healthcare: environmental persistence, health implications, and professional awareness

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics have infiltrated ecosystems, food, water, and even human tissues, with particular focus on their relevance to healthcare settings — especially dentistry and orthodontics — where extensive plastic use generates microplastic debris from single-use items and clear aligners.

2025 Frontiers in Materials
Article Tier 2

Study of airborne microplastics emissions in workplaces

Researchers measured airborne microplastic emissions in occupational settings, finding that workplaces can be significant sources of MP exposure through inhalation. The study characterized particle size, composition, and concentration of MPs in workplace air across different industrial environments.

2025 IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome)
Article Tier 2

Study of suspended microplastics in indoor air to assess human exposure through inhalation

Researchers investigated suspended microplastics in indoor air to assess the extent of human exposure through inhalation. The study quantified airborne microplastic particles in indoor settings, providing data on a potentially important but understudied route of daily microplastic intake for the general population.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in indoor dust collected from medical waste disposal units: Occurrence and exposure assessment

This study characterized microplastic contamination in indoor dust from medical waste disposal units, finding MPs at all sampled locations and estimating inhalation exposure for workers. The results highlight medical waste facilities as an underrecognized source of occupational microplastic exposure.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the surgical environment

Researchers quantified and characterized airborne microplastics in a hospital operating theatre and adjoining anaesthetic room over a one-week period. They found an average of 1,924 microplastic particles per cubic meter per day in the theatre during working hours, dominated by polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene fragments. The study provides novel data on microplastic exposure in surgical environments where single-use plastics are widely used, and no microplastics were detected during non-working hours.

2022 Environment International 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics and the Oral Cavity: Implications for Oral and Systemic Health, Dental Practice, and the Environment—A Narrative Review

This review explores how micro- and nanoplastics are both generated by and introduced through dental practices, including from composite fillings, aligners, and other dental materials. Researchers discuss the potential implications for oral and systemic health, noting that the oral cavity serves as a direct entry point for these particles into the body. The study encourages the dental field to adopt safer, microplastic-free materials and raise awareness among practitioners.

2025 Journal of Functional Biomaterials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Orthodontics

This paper reviews how microplastics can leach from dental and orthodontic materials such as toothpaste, retainers, aligners, and adhesives, with the oral cavity being a direct route for microplastic ingestion. As orthodontic treatments become more common, especially clear aligner therapy, understanding the extent of microplastic release from these devices is important for assessing patient exposure.

2023 International Journal of Contemporary Dental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and risk assessment of microplastics from various toothpastes

Researchers found microplastic particles in multiple commercial toothpaste products and conducted risk assessments, determining that microbeads and other plastic additives in toothpastes represent a source of microplastic release to aquatic environments and potential human oral exposure.

2019 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 83 citations
Article Tier 2

The oral–systemic interface of micro- and nanoplastics

Researchers reviewed the oral cavity as an underexplored entry point for micro- and nanoplastics from dental products, toothbrushes, restorations, and implants, finding evidence linking local particle exposure to oral diseases including periodontitis and oral cancer, and noting that particles crossing oral barriers can disseminate systemically to worsen inflammatory and metabolic conditions.

2026 Advances in Colloid and Interface Science
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in oral healthcare products (OHPs) and their environmental health risks and mitigation measures

Scientists tested common oral healthcare products sold across India, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental floss, and found microplastic contamination in all of them. Toothbrushes released the most particles (30 to 120 per brush), with polyethylene and polyamide being the most common plastic types. This means people are regularly putting microplastics directly into their mouths through everyday dental hygiene products, creating a direct route of exposure.

2023 Environmental Pollution 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and influencing factors of airborne microplastics in nail salons

Researchers measured airborne microplastic concentrations in nail salons and found average levels of 46 particles per cubic meter, significantly higher than typical indoor environments. The predominant microplastic types were acrylic, rubber, and polyurethane fragments smaller than 50 micrometers, linked to nail treatment materials and plastic building features. The study suggests that nail salon workers face elevated microplastic exposure, with an estimated annual inhalation of nearly 68,000 particles.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Emission of microplastics particles during the mechanical removal of polymer materials in cosmetics industry

This study characterized microplastic particles generated during mechanical milling of nail styling materials in beauty salons, finding particles ranging from a few to tens of micrometers with diverse polymer compositions, suggesting cosmetic industry workers face occupational microplastic inhalation exposure.

2025 Photonics Letters of Poland
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics during chewing gum consumption

Researchers found that chewing gum — both natural and synthetic types — releases hundreds of microplastic particles directly into the mouth, with up to 637 particles per gram and 94% released within the first 8 minutes of chewing. This makes chewing gum a direct, largely overlooked route for microplastic ingestion in everyday life.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters 1 citations