Quartz-containing dental composites can generate respirable dust during orthodontic adhesive removal, posing potential health risks. This study evaluated particle size distribution, quartz content, and the effectiveness of dental masks during air-rotary abrasion. About 5% of generated dust fell within the respirable range (0.5–5 µm), containing significant quartz levels and producing billions of particles. While dental masks removed over 99% of total dust mass, they were ineffective at filtering smaller particles most likely to reach deep lung regions. These findings suggest a potential exposure risk and highlight the need for improved protective measures in clinical practice.
