Should Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators Be the New Norm Beyond Pandemic? A National Survey of American Academic Outpatient Oral Surgery Clinics

Aim The COVID‐19 pandemic caused a shift in the use of Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs) from disposal to reuse. This cross‐sectional study aimed to assess whether this practice reflected a broader change in attitude toward sustainability. Materials and Methods An online questionnaire was distributed via email to 105 oral surgery programmes between November 2020 and April 2022. The survey compared practices before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown, assessed the impact of these practices on disease transmission and evaluated the attitudes of oral surgeons toward FFR reuse. Results The average clinic‐days/week had decreased ( p = 0.016), and 70% of clinics had treated < 40 patients/week ( p < 0.001) (response rate = 20%). The number of Aerosol‐Producing Procedures (APPs) had decreased to < 10/week for 60% ( p = 0.006) of clinics. Extended use , reuse and limited reuse were adopted by 45%, 25%, and 30% of clinics, respectively, and did not affect the number of surgeons or patients contracting COVID‐19 ( p = 0.735, p = 1.000 and p = 0.534, respectively). Forty‐five percent had used alternatives to N95. The majority of the responders believed that FFR reuse “should not be used only at the time of crisis”, “may also be used when no shortage exists”, “should be sought before trying to obtain foreign FFRs”, “should become routine practice with defined standards” and “has the potential to decrease healthcare costs.” Conclusion This study provides evidence in support of following the guidelines and their potential for infection control but, more importantly, highlights a paradigm shift among the American academic oral and maxillofacial surgery outpatient clinics toward a more sustainable approach to FFR use beyond the pandemic.