Special health care for outer space—
no gravity? no problem!
Space may be the final frontier, but dental care for astronauts traveling in space has been conquered. Through the work of John M. Young, DDS, clinical professor of general dentistry, with Krug Life Sciences of Houston on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), surgical and dental procedures during space flight are possible.
The primary concern, according to Dr. Young, was control in the spacecraft of potentially infectious aerosols and particulates that may be generated during emergency medical or dental procedures in space.
"A ‘laminar air particulate control system’ was developed that effectively controls these emissions," said Dr. Young. A curtain of air is created that sucks particles of saliva, blood, water and other materials into a contained system before they can float away from the patient’s mouth.
Dr. Young also wrote guidelines for routine preventive and therapeutic dental and medical procedures for weightless environments.
