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Abstract
The dry angle is a thin, triangle-shaped piece of moisture-absorbing cellulose that is placed over the buccal mucosa. It absorbs parotid gland saliva and some mandibular saliva, and helps to maintain a dry working field. It is an adjunct to rubber dam isolation and can facilitate dry field isolation in ways that cotton rolls cannot. Its thinness allows it to be placed in the thin space between the maxillary second molars and the ramus aspect of the mandible and sometimes it may be the most practical tool for isolating second molars for boneding or cementation procedures. When slightly moistened with parotid saliva, the dry angle adheres to the surface of the buccal mucosa. It replaces the flabby surface of the buccal mucosa with the stiff surface of the dry angle. This prevents suctioning of the mucosa by the high volume evacuator (HVE) suction tip, aids in retraction of the mucosa and increases the number of ways that instruments can be positioned intraorally without obstruction from the HVE suction tube. This article explains the clinical techniques and use of the dry angle in general dentistry.
The dry angle is a thin, moisture-absorbing triangleshaped piece of cellulose, one side of which may consist of a thin aluminum surface. It is placed over the buccal mucosa, where it absorbs parotid gland saliva and saliva pooling in the mandibular molar area (Figure 1, right). The dry angle is an adjunct to cotton roll and rubber dam isolation. The cellulose side of the dry angle adheres to the mucosa when slightly moist. The metallic side, facing the tongue, is a stiff, flat surface that "smooths out" the flabby buccal mucosa, which facilitates retraction and prevents the high volume evacuation (HVE) tip from suctioning the buccal mucosa.1' 2 This suctioning can be painful, create aerosols or spatter during moments when the suction is stuck, obstruct visibility, disrupt instruments positioned in the area and disrupt the continuity and rhythm of working.
The dry angle increases the number of ways of positioning suction and work instruments for performing work on teeth, and may allow a dentist operating without an assistant to more easily perform work and evacuation.
Advantages of the dry angle over cotton rolls
In some situations, a dry...