EDITORIAL | https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10019-1265 |
Is it the Time to Move Ahead with COVID-19 in Dental Practice?
1Department of Prosthodontics, People’s College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
2Department of Prosthodontics, RajaRajeswari Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Corresponding Author: Sunil K Mishra, Department of Prosthodontics, People’s College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, Phone:+91 7697738478, e-mail: sunilmsr200@yahoo.co.in
How to cite this article Mishra SK, Chowdhary R. Is it the Time to Move Ahead with COVID-19 in Dental Practice? Int J Prosthodont Restor Dent 2020;10(1):1.
Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), announced a public health emergency of international concern due to the epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which started in December from Wuhan, China. On January 8, 2020, a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was announced as the causative pathogen of COVID-19 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The WHO on March 11, 2020, declared COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. The countries affected with COVID-19 implemented strict protocol in dental practice for effective infection control.1,2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) routinely specifies the guidelines for the interim infection prevention and control guidance for dental settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be followed on their website. The CDC states that “prioritize the most critical dental services and provide care in a way that minimizes harm to patients from delaying care and harm to personnel from potential exposure to COVID-19.”3 Procedures that can produce aerosols or droplets should be minimized or, if possible, can be avoided. Four-handed dentistry may be quite beneficial to control the infections. Saliva ejectors with low volume or high volume can be used to reduce droplets and aerosol production.1
Ather et al. in their review article provided a brief overview of the epidemiology, symptoms, and routes of transmission of this novel infection. They had also provided specific recommendations for dental practice for patient screening, infection control strategies, and patient management protocol.4 Spicciarelli et al. stated that a rapid and reliable diagnostic test kit is required to detect COVID-19-positive patients once they arrive at the dental office, so that the dentist should be in a position to postpone the treatment or treat the patient only in case of a real emergency using high-level personal protective equipment and extraordinary preventive strategies.5 Fini MB in the article described about “what dentists need to know about COVID-19,” which can be very beneficial to readers.6
The American College of Prosthodontists has provided COVID-19 resources for prosthodontists, which can be found at the link https://www.prosthodontics.org/covid-19 and can be beneficial to prosthodontists across the globe. They had provided the information about elective and nonelective procedures, so that it can be identified properly and performed accordingly.7
Dental practitioners across the globe are in a state of fear and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact on humanity. It is of utmost importance that from time to time the dental professionals should be vigilant and keep patients and themselves in a safe environment by updating their knowledge on COVID-19 and following the proper guidelines given by the WHO, government, dental councils, and other professional associations.
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2. Maurizio D, Vanelli M. WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Acta Biomed 2020;91(1):157–160. DOI: 10.23750/abm.v91i1.9397.
3. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/dental-settings.html (accessed on 26th May 2020).
4. Ather A, Patel B, Ruparel NB, et al. Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19): implications for clinical dental care. J Endod 2020;46(5):584–595. DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2020.03.008.
5. Spicciarelli V, Marruganti C, Viviano M, et al. Prevention and safety in the dental office after novel human coronavirus outbreak: unresolved questions and future directions. J Osseointegrat 2020;12(2):155–163.
6. Fini MB. What dentists need to know about COVID-19. Oral Oncol 2020;105:104741. DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2020.104741.
7. https://www.prosthodontics.org/covid-19 (accessed on 26th May 2020).
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