Consulting Services

Sound Intensity Measurements Performed on Dental Handpieces

This report describes sound intensity measurements performed on three dental handpieces. The experimental procedure is described, including the measuring devices and instrumentation. The results of several experiments are described. First, the sound pressure level for each handpiece was measured at two points to determine the approximate sound spectrum. Next, the intensity spectrum for each device was measured at 48 points in a virtual cylinder around the handpiece. These intensity measurements were used to create sound intensity maps. Intensity maps were created at the dominant frequency and for the overall A-weighed and Linear-weighted sound intensity. Finally, a laser vibrometer was used to measure the structural velocity of two handpieces while operating.

Figure 1: The Experimental Set-up