10 Medical apparatus in the nature of protective barriers for placement around patients used during surgical procedures or oral and head and neck examinations, including oral or dental surgical procedures, that optionally includes an air filtration and/or purification unit; medical apparatus in the nature of protective barriers for placement around patients that reduce microbiological contamination during surgical procedures or oral and head and neck examinations, namely, oral or dental surgical procedures, that optionally includes an apparatus for cleaning, filtering, ionizing, or purifying air during surgical procedures, namely, oral or dental surgical procedures