Dentists risking health with cheap masks, says fit test expert

Darren Duncan, who runs Surrey Safety, a company that fit tests face masks, fears that with the prospect of dental practices reopening to patients, there may be a risk of them purchasing poorly fitting face masks leaving them vulnerable to the virus.

He has been carrying out mask fitting for FFP3 respirators in various dental practices in the south of England and is concerned many dentists may have unwittingly purchased the wrong type or cheap copies of FFP3 and N99 masks.

He says: ‘These might be coming to them from a supply chain dealing with a product they have no or little idea about. Of course, all face masks must be face fit tested under HSG53 INDG479 and COSHH regulations so that they wear seals and fit the wearers face.

‘I have been to a number of different dental practices over the last three weeks and the NHS practices have been getting the masks from the NHS stock, but this is limited. The private ones have been on the internet, whilst others are getting them from their normal dental equipment supply chain. From the types I have seen, the NHS ones are out of date and have been re-stickered. The HSE have looked and tested the out-of-date ones and signed them off as okay to use and I can concur that I didn’t have any problems with them either – except, the neck and head straps are a little brittle.