COVID-19 Management in Clinical Dental Care Part III: Patients and the Dental Office

International Dental Journal

Pedro Mesquita¹  Patricia Manarte-Monteiro²  Nélio Veiga³  Paulo Melo⁴  André Brandão de Almeida⁵ 

[1] Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health (CIIS) - Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Viseu, Portugal;Corresponding author: Rua Dr Manuel Pereira da Silva, EpiUnit, Institute of Public Health, 4200-393 Porto Portugal.;Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal;EpiUnit, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Portugal;Faculty Dental Medicine - Universidade Católica Portuguesa;

关键词: Patient safety;    Dental office;    Infection control;    Cross infection;    COVID-19;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically changed all aspects of life. In the context of clinical dental care, a significant number of new recommendations have been implemented to comply with public health policies, ensuring the safety of dental care professionals, staff, and patients and preventing further spread of the virus. This article is the third in a series of 3 on the management of COVID-19 in clinical dental care and presents a set of recommendations and standards to be implemented in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include remote contact with all patients for triage and guidance before scheduling a clinical visit to know if they have COVID symptoms or are positive for COVID, if they belong to a risk group, and if there is a suggestion that aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) will be required during their visit. It also reviews additional precautionary measures in the waiting room and reception area, where the environment is reorganised to protect patients and clinical staff, avoiding situations that could result in cross contamination. The dental office operates under a strict set of guidelines, namely, use of personal protective equipment by professionals, contact with patients, a strategy to avoid aerosol-generating procedures, as well as disinfection procedures for the dental office before, during, and after each patient visit. The implementation of these protocols to mitigate cross infection and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the dental office will help improve safety and restore the confidence required to provide dental care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

【 授权许可】

Unknown