Pan-dent-emic: safety considerations for dental surgery in the era of COVID-19

Abstract

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spread has seized the entire world and has created extensive health concerns in the general population. Despite various efforts to prevent the pandemic spread, the flare-up of this disease is still soaring due to the community spread in every area. The droplet spread from the afflicted is of the highest concern because of its rapid spread to uninfected individuals. Dental treatments have to be planned and carried out with extreme caution and dental personnel should take extreme care and follow meticulous guidelines when treating an individual with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection. This article highlights the clinical picture of COVID-19 (coronavirus diseases 2019) and presents a summary of precautionary and prophylactic measures in preventing the cross-infection and the nosocomial spread of the infection in a dental setting.

The safety of dental care for older adults during COVID-19 pandemic era

“…Compromised chewing performance, limited food choice, weight loss, impaired speech, low self-esteem and wellbeing are some of but not limited to the effects of poor oral health in older adults [5].…”

“…crown preparations can be scheduled as the last appointment in the day [4][5][6]. Dentists need to do, more than ever to stress on preventive care especially in the older adults, because visiting the dentist only when there is pain and discomfort exposes older adults to an increased risk of infection due to long appointments or unavoidable use of rotary instruments [4].…”

Behavioral Preventative Strategies Undertaken by Dental Clinics in Fiji during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19), also known as SARS COV2, emerged as an acute pneumonia in Wuhan City, China. [ 1 2 3 ] Although a lot of measures had been undertaken to control the spread of the virus, the outbreak has exceedingly spread worldwide and has become a public health crisis. [ 3 ] The disease was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020.…”

“…[ 1 2 3 ] Although a lot of measures had been undertaken to control the spread of the virus, the outbreak has exceedingly spread worldwide and has become a public health crisis. [ 3 ] The disease was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. [ 4 5 ] The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, myalgia, headache, shortness of breath, and in some cases diarrhea.…”

“…[ 4 5 ] The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, myalgia, headache, shortness of breath, and in some cases diarrhea. [ 3 6 7 8 ]…”