---

Medical mask

In many medical or dental procedures, it is often desirable for the medical professional to wear a mask over the mouth and nose. Face masks are universally used in the medical profession to permit face-to-face communication between the medical person and the patient without risk of transferring infectious bacteria, virus, or the like. Medical science has long recognized the need to provide a germ-free environment in operating rooms. In addition, there's a need for medical professionals outside the operating room to protect themselves from contracting these and other contagious diseases from infected patients. To meet these needs, doctors and nurses are required to wear medical face masks both to prevent exhaled germs from contaminating the operating room environment and to prevent contracting communicable and dangerous diseases from the patients they treat. Disposable face masks are widely used in hospitals and medical and dental offices to reduce exposure to potentially hazardous bodily fluids or other contaminants that may become airborne. Medical masks typically include a panel for covering the nose and mouth constructed of material allowing the free passage of air but preventing the permeation of germs therethrough and tie strings or straps extending from the panel for attaching the mask about the wearer's head. Such masks are made of a filter material that will filter contaminants that are atomized, form an aerosol, or that are contained in the air, as well as liquid particles or liquid splashes. Masks are particularly beneficial in a dental office where high speed drilling devices, such as those used in many dental procedures in the mouth, which often causes the spread of liquid and other particles from the mouth into and throughout the air.

---