{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T19:40:40Z","timestamp":1786650040207,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]],"date-time":"2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743465600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Dental procedures result in the production of bioaerosols that contaminate various environmental surfaces in the dental clinic. In order to maintain a safe environment in the dental clinic and prevent cross contamination, it is important to find alternative disinfection methods and agents to ensure effective decontamination. Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a cost-effective antimicrobial agent that can be used for infection control. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide evidence from the literature supporting the routine use of HOCl as a biodecontamination and disinfection agent in dental clinics. An electronic search was completed on the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley, and Science Direct. The studies were included based on their titles, abstract, and relevance to HOCl and the ability to render pathogens deactivated after exposure to HOCl vapor. The search focused on studies in the past 5 years. The search resulted in a total of 15 articles being selected after exclusions based on duplications, title, and abstract assessment. The articles included studies that used various HOCl concentrations and expanded on the inactivation of several pathogens. The reviewed studies highlight HOCl\u2019s broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy, with significant reductions in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, methicillin-resistant\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic>\n                    , vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, and\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Clostridioides difficile<\/jats:italic>\n                    , reinforcing its role in optimizing disinfection protocols across healthcare and occupational settings. The articles selected provided clear evidence that under correct and established parameters, HOCl can provide a cheaper safer alternative to most disinfectants. Further studies are recommended on applications methods in clinical settings.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4103\/njcp.njcp_674_24","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,27]],"date-time":"2025-04-27T23:00:12Z","timestamp":1745794812000},"page":"425-445","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Exploring the Efficacy of Hypochlorous Acid as a Cost Effective Environmental Decontaminant in Dentistry: A Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"28","author":[{"given":"R","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Western Cape, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Western Cape, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"676108","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2021.676108","article-title":"Antimicrobial Resistance and the Spectrum of Pathogens in Dental and Oral-Maxillofacial Infections in Hospitals and Dental Practices in Germany","volume":"12","author":"Meinen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"R2-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1003","DOI":"10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_863_19","article-title":"Qualitative and quantitative analysis of bacterial aerosols in dental clinical settings: Risk exposure towards dentist, auxiliary staff, and patients","volume":"9","author":"Jain","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Family Med Prim Care"},{"key":"R3-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e05402","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2020.e05402","article-title":"Infection control in dentistry during COVID - 19 pandemic: What has changed?","volume":"6","author":"Patel","year":"2020","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"R4-20260423","first-page":"23","article-title":"Hypochlorous acid inactivates oral pathogens and a SARS-CoV-2-surrogate","author":"Tazawa","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Oral Health"},{"key":"R5-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100096","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpap.2021.100096","article-title":"COVID-19 outbreak: Should dental and medical practices consider uv-c technology to enhance disinfection on surfaces? - A systematic review","volume":"9","author":"Alvarenga","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Photochem Photobiol"},{"key":"R6-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e20220016","DOI":"10.1590\/1981-86372022001620200046","article-title":"Microbial contamination in dental equipment and disinfection potential of different antimicrobial agents","volume":"70","author":"Tonello SC de","year":"2022","journal-title":"Rev Ga\u00fach Odontol"},{"key":"R7-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.52403\/ijrr.20230942","article-title":"Local Factors for Development of Denture Stomatitis and Strategies for Their Management","volume":"10","author":"Pavlova","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Res Rev"},{"key":"R8-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100064","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dentre.2023.100064","article-title":"Antiviral effect of oral antiseptic solutions commonly used in dentistry practice: A scoping review","volume":"3","author":"Toschi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Dent Rev"},{"key":"R9-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103565","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2020.103565","article-title":"Evaluating contaminated dental aerosol and splatter in an open plan clinic environment: Implications for the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"105","author":"Holliday","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Dent"},{"key":"R10-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1071018","DOI":"10.3389\/froh.2022.1071018","article-title":"Biofilm growth and microbialcontamination of dental unit waterlines at Kuwait Universitydental centre","volume":"3","author":"Akbar","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Oral Health"},{"key":"R11-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1564","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMc2004973","article-title":"Aerosol andSurface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1","volume":"382","author":"van Doremalen","year":"2020","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"R12-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics13010018","article-title":"Profiling Antibiotic Susceptibility among Distinct Enterococcus faecalis Isolates from Dental Root Canals","volume":"13","author":"Manoil","year":"2023","journal-title":"Antibiotics (Basel)"},{"key":"R13-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"348","DOI":"10.2174\/1874210602014010348","article-title":"COVID-19 in dental practice: Transmission risk, infection control challenge, and clinical implications","volume":"14","author":"Aldahlawi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Open Dent J"},{"key":"R14-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"345","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jds.2023.07.007","article-title":"In vitro cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of hypochlorous acid antimicrobial agent","volume":"19","author":"Tsai","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Dent Sci"},{"key":"R15-20260423","article-title":"Cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in the context of COVID-19"},{"key":"R16-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"953","DOI":"10.5005\/jp-journals-10024-3305","article-title":"Infection control in dental clinics: Prosthodontics perspectives","volume":"23","author":"AL-Makramani","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Contemp Dent Pract"},{"key":"R17-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1461","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joms.2020.06.029","article-title":"Hypochlorous acid: A review","volume":"78","author":"Block","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Oral Maxillofac Surg"},{"key":"R18-20260423","first-page":"1307","article-title":"Comparison of aerosolized hydrogen peroxide fogging with a conventional disinfection product for a dental surgery","volume":"21","author":"Sher","year":"2020","journal-title":"J of Contemp Dent Pract"},{"key":"R19-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1016\/j.oftal.2021.01.012","article-title":"[Hypochlorous acid as an antiseptic in the care of patients with suspected COVID-19 infection]","volume":"97","author":"Gessa-Sorroche","year":"2022","journal-title":"Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol"},{"key":"R20-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1031","DOI":"10.1177\/00220345231169434","article-title":"HOCl rapidly kills corona, flu, and herpes to prevent aerosol spread","volume":"102","author":"Guan","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Dent Res"},{"key":"R21-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1411","DOI":"10.1002\/elps.202000387","article-title":"High concentrations of hypochlorous acid\u2010based disinfectant in the environment reduced the load of SARS\u2010CoV\u20102 in nucleic acid amplification testing","volume":"42","author":"Duan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Electrophoresis"},{"key":"R22-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1007\/s10453-020-09670-8","article-title":"Disinfection efficiency of hospital infectious disease wards with chlorine dioxide and hypochlorous acid","volume":"37","author":"Lu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Aerobiologia"},{"key":"R23-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.2147\/RMHP.S284897","article-title":"The potential use of hypochlorous acid and a smart prefabricated sanitising chamber to reduce occupation-related COVID-19 exposure","volume":"14","author":"Nguyen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Risk Manag Healthc Policy"},{"key":"R24-20260423","first-page":"19","volume":"8","author":"Arksey","year":"2005","journal-title":"Scoping studies:towards a methodological framework, International Journal of Social Research Methodology,"},{"key":"R25-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1311","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2022.03.009","article-title":"Efficacy of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) fog in sanitizing surfaces against Enterococcus faecalis","volume":"50","author":"Feng","year":"2022","journal-title":"Am J Infect Control"},{"key":"R26-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6712","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20186712","article-title":"Electrolyzed Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) aqueous solution as low-impact and eco-friendly agent for floor cleaning and sanitation","volume":"20","author":"Gessi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"R27-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8896812","DOI":"10.1155\/2020\/8896812","article-title":"Environmental disinfection of a dental clinic during the Covid-19 pandemic: A narrative insight","volume":"2020","author":"Scarano","year":"2020","journal-title":"BioMed Res Int"},{"key":"R28-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"629142","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2021.629142","article-title":"Electrolyzed water generated on-site as a promising disinfectant in the dental office during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"9","author":"Farah","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"R29-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1039\/D2EM00405D","article-title":"Near-source hypochlorous acid emissions from indoor bleach cleaning","volume":"25","author":"Stubbs","year":"2023","journal-title":"Environ Sci Processes and Impacts"},{"key":"R30-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2381","DOI":"10.1177\/15353702211034164","article-title":"Stopping the COVID-19 pandemic in dental offices: A review of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and cross-infection prevention","volume":"246","author":"Hartig","year":"2021","journal-title":"Exp Biol Med"},{"key":"R31-20260423","first-page":"396","article-title":"The effect of hypochlorous acid on the filtration performance and bacterial decontamination of N95 filtering facemask respirators","volume":"51","author":"Brooks","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Oral Maxillofac Surg"},{"key":"R32-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-1009101\/v1","article-title":"Inhalation of a fog of hypochlorous acid (HOCl): Biochemical, antimicrobial, and pathological assessment","author":"Rasmussen","year":"2021"},{"key":"R33-20260423","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e43","DOI":"10.1017\/dmp.2020.252","article-title":"Biosafety for dental 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