When was the last time you thought about your dental suction technique?

We spend a huge proportion of our working day providing various dental suction techniques but it is not often that we reflect on the importance of one of the first and most basic tasks we undertake as student dental nurse, or further still, our performance when using it. No matter how experienced we are, evaluating and improving our dental suction technique can instantly improve the patient’s comfort, improve relationships and job satisfaction amongst the dental team.

Most dental practices will have both high and low volume suction devices available. A high volume evacuating device (HVE) pulls a larger volume of air through the tube over a period of time than a low volume evacuating device (LVE). Both devices use the same static vacuum pressure however the difference in air volume is determined by the hose size or number of holes in the suction tip. The LVE is widely used with saliva ejectors.