When do you wear a Type IIR face mask?

Woman wearing face mask

Whatever profession you practice in healthcare, these are exciting times with Covid-19. It is therefore crucial that you protect yourself at all cause. This can be done in various ways, such as gloves, aprons, face shields and of course face masks.

What is the difference between a Type II and a Type IIR?
A Type II face mask is often used by dentists throughout the year. This is because they do not always have to rely on the water resistant outer layer during a treatment. The protection is then purely for small drops that may splash. When there is a chance body fluids such as saliva, blood, etc. are involved, it is often better to rely on a Type IIR. This is because it has a waterproof outer layer that ensures that drops do not end up in the mouth of the wearer.

Who wear Type IIR Face Masks?
The Type IIR is indicated as medical face mask. It will therefore come as no surprise that the target group for the Type IIR mouth masks are people who practice a medical profession. However, this does not have to be standard for everyone, it often has to do with the situation where it is required. A Type IIR provides high protection, but is not comparable to an FFP2 or FFP3 masks, also known as KN95 masks. These are used in situations where there is a high risk of contamination and has a higher form of filtration.

Which is better Type IIR or FFP2?
A surgical mask type IIR and an FFP2 respiratory mask are both good, but there is a difference in when to wear which. In the case of Covid-19, the Type IIR surgical mask is applied more quickly when there is no knowledge of a possible contamination. When this has been established, an FFP2 mask is often used. This provides a perfect closure around the face, where the Type IIR sometimes has the sides open. There is always a risk of contamination here. However, this does not alter the fact that a Type IIR or mouth mask in general offers more protection than wearing no one at all.

What is the difference between a face mask and a mouth mask?
One time you read about a face mask and the other time about a mouth mask. Even though a face mask sounds much bigger and more impressive, it is exactly the same as a mouth mask. It is often purely the name that a producer or supplier gives to his product. It is also sometimes thought that this is the difference between whether or not being a medical product. A mouth mask for, for example, traveling by public transport and a face mask for surgical purposes or procedures. For medical purposes the term surgical mask is often being applied.

Anteo Medical Supplies
Anteo Medical Supplies is a manufacturer and supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare, among others. These articles are just informational for the reader on how in the use of face masks.