Challenges and opportunities for oral health care professionals in COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Introduction: The World Health Organization announced a pandemic crisis when the virus was isolated in all of its worldwide regions. Being highly transmissible, this novel coronavirus disease-2019, also known as COVID-19, has spread fast all over the world. The outbreak was declared a Publi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Saudi Journal of Oral Sciences Vol. 9; no. 2; pp. 87 - 91
Main Authors: Tirth, Amit, Alam, Naved, Ravishankar, T. L., Tandon, Vaibhav
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: India Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 01.05.2022
Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd
Edition:2
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
Health aspects
Health care industry
Medical personnel
Oral health
Prevention
Public health
Review Article
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
China
COVID-19
Aerosols
severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2
oral health care
ISSN:2542-7849, 1658-6816, 2542-7849
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Abstract Introduction: The World Health Organization announced a pandemic crisis when the virus was isolated in all of its worldwide regions. Being highly transmissible, this novel coronavirus disease-2019, also known as COVID-19, has spread fast all over the world. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Human-to-human transmission happens mainly through the respiratory tract of droplets and close contact transmission. Dental practitioners are at higher risk of transmission as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has the potential to spread through droplets and aerosols from infected individuals in dental clinics and hospitals. Aim: The aim of the study is to highlight the potential sources of COVID-19 infection in oral health-care services. Materials and Methods: An electronic search was made of the PubMed (MEDLINE), ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. Articles were identified by the searches which were checked based on title first, then by abstract or keywords with "COVID-19," "SARS-CoV-2," "Dentist," and "health-care workers," for articles involving studies and review articles published in English language only and relevant to the objectives of our review article. Results and Discussion: The majority of the emergency cases required endodontic treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Atraumatic restorative treatment and interim therapeutic restoration are alternative approaches to prevent infectious aerosol during dental procedures in dental, community, or hospital settings. Conclusion: Oral healthcare professionals are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 infection. Risk of COVID-19 can be reduced by appropriate techniques and practice in dental settings.
ISSN:2542-7849
1658-6816
2542-7849
DOI:10.4103/sjoralsci.sjoralsci_15_22