Effective and practical recommendations to dental team when providing dental services in the era of COVID-19

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV 2) is the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). It is an airborne virus and can spread through small droplets of saliva.Dental professionals work very close to the patient’s mouth, putting them at high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. This is because aerosols and splatter are generated when performing some dental procedures, which are known to be the possible potential sources of some other serious diseases to the dental team and patients in the dental settings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental professionals continued to provide dental services to patients; however, dental professionals are more likely to become contaminated due to the nature of their work. Hence a cautious emergency implementation of extra-protective measures is paramount to limit viral contamination between patients and the dental team. This research review was performed to summarize essential practical recommendations to be adopted by the dental team when providing dental services to the patient during the COVID-19 period, to minimize the risks of COVID-19.