Dental treatment is a high-risk procedure for both the patient and the dentist in contracting COVID-19. A lot of adjustments have had to be made on how general dental care is given to protect the patient and the dentist from contracting the Coronavirus.
WHO and dentists
According to the directives of the World Health Organization, dentists should focus on the most critical cases during this pandemic. Routine and elective dental visits should be reduced. This would mean that the general dental health of the population will deteriorate. Only a few people should accompany the patient seeking dental attention to the hospital.
While consulting with patients, the dentists should be in full personal protective equipment. The patients should also be in face masks, and they should sanitize their hands before entering the dentist’s consultation room and after leaving. Such measures would minimize risks from body substances, air, and surfaces that are contaminated.
New ways to counter the pandemic by dentists
Some new procedures have been integrated into the dental treatment. They include the screening of patients seeking dentist’s attention or at least probing for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 from the patient, which include taking temperature measurements. Although such protocols delay the dental procedures, they’re deemed necessary for precautions. Moreover, there is increased sterilization and disinfection of dental tools as surfaces that risk transmission of the Coronavirus.
Patients who test positive for COVID-19 fourteen days after receiving dental care should report to the hospital where they were treated.
This will prompt the dentists to be more cautious in screening new patients. The hospital should also take measures to sanitize the equipment and surfaces the patient contacted and inform other patients treated around the same period to get screened.
Food for thought
For dentists to learn to make these adjustments in treating their patients, they have had to enroll in refresher training programs. The programs will help sensitize dentists on the measures they need to take in dealing with the corona pandemic in the line of their duty.
0 Comments