scholarly journals Teledentistry: A Boon Amidst COVID-19 Lockdown—A Narrative Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Shantanu Deshpande ◽  
Devendra Patil ◽  
Amol Dhokar ◽  
Parin Bhanushali ◽  
Farhin Katge
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Spread Pattern ◽  
Dental Professionals

The recent spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused widespread public health concerns. Despite huge efforts to contain the disease spread, it is still on the rise because of the community spread pattern of this infection. In order to prevent the community spread, a nationwide lockdown was implemented, due to which many restrictions were imposed on movements of citizens within the country. Since the dental professionals were at the forefront of acquiring the infection, the majority of the dental clinics were shut for routine dental procedures. Only emergency treatment was provided to the patients. However, due to restrictions in movement, it was difficult for the patients to visit the clinics for routine check-ups. This was overcome by the advancements in technology which has a major impact on medicine. Due to increased usage of smartphones and related software applications, the clinical data exchange was facilitated between patients and clinicians which has been termed as “teledentistry.” Teledentistry is a combination of telecommunications and dentistry, involving the exchange of clinical information and images for dental consultation and treatment planning. This technology served as a boon for the dentists to manage dental emergencies during the lockdown period. This narrative review discusses teledentistry and its applications in general and specialty dental practice amidst the COVID-19 lockdown.

scholarly journals Dental Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aalap Sureshkumar Prajapati
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Record System ◽  
Environment Management ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Dental Professionals

Introduction: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classified health care professionals and exposure risk to Coronavirus, identifying Dental Professionals in very high risk group due to specificity of dental procedures and instrumentations used. As per guidelines from relevant bodies to provide only emergency and urgent dental treatment has led majority of dental practice to stop, instilling apprehension in profession and fear in public. Aim: To narrate the experience from Department of Dentistry, on how to safely and effectively practice dentistry that would provide guidance to practicing dental professionals without major environment alteration and capital items requirement. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study from Department of Dentistry from May to August 2020, attached to a rural tertiary care medical teaching institute, following customised protocol after reviewing available guidelines in relation to Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and dentistry. Data collection was done from Institutional Electronic Medical Record System for patients receiving dental treatment during the study period. It used descriptive narrative analysis to provide chronology of experiences for practicing dentistry as per various unlock phases declared by Government of India. Results: The Department of Dentistry was able to manage four Non-Aerosol Generating Procedures (Non-AGP), three Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGP) and eighteen Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) consultations on an average for a working day, from May to August 2020. During the tenure while providing dental care, none of the member of dental team was detected COVID positive. The result was achieved by simple alteration done by patient, man-power, practice and environment management. Conclusion: A simple alteration in practice and practice area ensuring safety of all members of dental team was made by department. It included the effective use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during all dental procedures including oral examination. Special emphasis on history of patients, facility and environment management along with regular training for hand hygiene, donning-doffing, aerosol appointment and practice was given. An attempt to provide prophylactic and elective dental need of patients were done and department was successfully able to treat seven patients per day on an average during May to August, 2020.

scholarly journals Covid-19 Pandemic: What Changes for Dentists and Oral Medicine Experts? A Narrative Review and Novel Approaches to Infection Containment

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Eleonora Bizzoca ◽  
Giuseppina Campisi ◽  
Lorenzo Lo Muzio
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Review ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Medical Subject Headings ◽  
Oral Medicine ◽  
Mesh Terms ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Primary Endpoints ◽  
Before And After

The authors performed a narrative review on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome- CoronaVirus-2 ( SARS-CoV-2) and all infectious agents with the primary endpoints to illustrate the most accepted models of safety protocols in dentistry and oral medicine, and to propose an easy view of the problem and a comparison (pre- vs post-COVID19) for the most common dental procedures. The outcome is forecast to help dentists to individuate for a given procedure the differences in terms of safety protocols to avoid infectious contagion (by SARS-CoV-2 and others dangerous agents). An investigation was performed on the online databases Pubmed and Scopus using a combination of free words and Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms: “dentist” OR “oral health” AND “COVID-19” OR “SARS-CoV-2” OR “coronavirus-19”. After a brief excursus on all infectious agents transmittable at the dental chair, the authors described all the personal protective equipment (PPE) actually on the market and their indications, and on the basis of the literature, they compared (before and after COVID-19 onset) the correct safety procedures for each dental practice studied, underlining the danger of underestimating, in general, dental cross-infections. The authors have highlighted the importance of knowing exactly the risk of infections in the dental practice, and to modulate correctly the use of PPE, in order to invest adequate financial resources and to avoid exposing both the dental team and patients to preventable risks.

scholarly journals Changes in dental practice in times of COVID-19: review and recommendations for dental health care

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Gonçalves de Souza e Silva SILVEIRA ◽  
Matheus dos Santos FERNANDEZ ◽  
Thais Freitas Formozo TILLMANN ◽  
Júlia Freire DANIGNO ◽  
Mariana Silveira ECHEVERRIA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Patient Screening ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Dental Office ◽  
Dental Professionals

ABSTRACT The aim of this article was to discuss biosafety measures described in the main protocols for minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission during dental care. COVID-19 appeared in China in late 2019 and quickly spread to other countries. Factors inherent to dental practice, such as proximity to the patient, transmission through saliva and breath, and the generation of aerosols during procedures, place the dental team at the top of the list among the most vulnerable healthcare providers. Health authorities initially recommended only maintaining urgent and emergency care and suspending elective dental procedures. Currently, elective care is gradually being resumed and requires numerous adjustments to the environment and professional routine in terms of biosafety. Several methods had been recommended to prevent the spread of other infectious diseases prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. However, further modifications are needed for the waiting room, patient screening and flow, procedures, garments, and even in dental office itself. Thus, dental professionals need to be prepared to adopt the new recommendations in order to reduce the chance of disease transmission.

scholarly journals Guidelines for Safe Routine Dental Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Physician ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Gowri Sivaramakrishnan ◽  
Fatema Al Sulaiti ◽  
Muneera Al sobaiei
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Standards Of Care ◽  
Safe Environment ◽  
Dental Health Care ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Evidence Based Guidelines ◽  
Dental Professionals

The Dental Postgraduate Training Department at the Ministry of Health, Bahrain, is committed to raising the standards of care provided to our patients through postgraduate education, and the provision of evidence-based guidelines for dental professionals. We are delighted, and we believe that this important set of guidelines will prepare the dental professionals to resume and continue their routine dental procedures in primary care dental clinics during the pandemic. The purpose of developing these guidelines is to ensure the provision of best practices in a safe environment for the dental health care professionals and the patient.

Challenges in prevention & control of COVID - 19 pandemic in dentistry: A review. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameera Begum ◽  
Riaz Abdulla ◽  
Akhter Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
College Hospital ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
High Chance

UNSTRUCTURED The menace of COVID 19 pandemic has become a major public health concern all over the world. It is a pandemic outbreak that originated from Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019. All healthcare professionals including dental surgeons are in the front line and a high chance of constantly getting infected. Droplet and aerosol transmissions are the utmost concern in dental clinics and dental college hospitals. Hence, COVID 19 has a high risk of spread through droplets and aerosols generated during dental procedures from infected patients. This review article highlights the dental perspective and discusses the various preventive measures undertaken to control the spread of infection in dental clinics and dental college hospital setups.

Preventive Measures for COVID - 19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1902-1904
Author(s):  
Lavi Arya
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Wuhan City ◽  
First Case ◽  
Spread Pattern ◽  
Sudden Outburst ◽  
Mode Of Transmission ◽  
Day By Day

COVID-19 sudden outburst is declared as a serious public medical health issue worldwide by WHO, in March 2020. The first case of COVID-19 was seen officially in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. It’s a pandemic to which all the countries has to take action in the detection of the infection and prevention of it’s spread. Despite global efforts to contain the disease spread, the outbreak is still on the rise because of the community spread pattern of this infection. Earlier the mode of transmission of the virus was seen in animal to person but now the transmission is from person to person through respiratory droplet infection the confirmed case is seen in many countries and are increasing day by day Fever, cough and cold, difficulty in breathing, tiredness can be seen in the patients suffering. The virus is affecting our health, economy, social life. Till the time we don’t have any medication at least we should try to prevent the spread of the virus. The points which can help in the prevention of the spread of the virus in the community are maintaining of hand sanitation, social distancing, Avoiding person to person contact and Quarantine. Increase in a number of testing, detecting COVID-19 positive patients will also help to reduce the spread of virus and secondary cases with strict quarantine rules.

scholarly journals Optimizing Safe Dental Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations Based on a Guide Developed for Dental Practices in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Mianyan Zeng ◽  
Xiao Chen ◽  
Shuman Cai ◽  
Cuixia Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Cross Infection ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
Dental Practices ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Public Emergency ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Emergency Measures

The current global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is still exerting severe global implications, and its development in various regions is complex and variable. The high risk of cross-infection poses a great challenge to the dental practice environment; it is therefore urgent to develop a set of pandemic prevention measures to ensure dental practice safety during the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, we combined the epidemiological characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), public emergency measures for COVID-19, characteristics of dental practice, and relevant literature reports to develop a set of dynamic practice measures for dental practices in high-, medium-, and low-risk areas affected by COVID-19. This will help dental practices to achieve standard prevention and ensure their safe and smooth operation during the pandemic. It is hoped that these measures will provide a reference basis for dental hospitals and dental clinics in their care and pandemic prevention work.

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PATIENTS' ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR DENTAL NEEDS

2021 ◽  
pp. 63-65
Author(s):  
Sonia Khatri ◽  
Indiresha H Narayana ◽  
Soumyadeep Ghosh ◽  
Kavimalar Kavimalar ◽  
Arbiya Anjum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Dental Setting ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Dental Needs

The Covid-19 has changed the life of the entire world and its wave has affected all elds of medicine and dentistry. The concern about coronavirus transmission and dental practice has been widely recognized around the world.The purpose of this survey was to investigate the inuence of coronavirus disease on patients' views with regards to their dental treatment requirements. Materials and methods: It is a cross-sectional survey conducted over 430 patients seeking dental treatment in Ramaiah dental college and hospital Bangalore, Karnataka, India. This survey has been conducted through electronic communication applications such as WhatsApp and Gmail, for three months. A structured and validated questionnaire was administered to the study subjects. Collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Results:Atotal of 1000 patients were selected for the survey, in this only 43% of subjects completed the survey. Out of 430 responses, 50.1% of the subjects had dental problems. 38.3% of subjects expressed the unavailability of dental clinics and hospitals during Covid-19, 31.4% unavailability of the dentist. Of the 42.9% of patients who visited the dental clinic during the covid-19 pandemic, 38% of subjects observed the increase in treatment cost, only 30.5% of subjects were provided with emergency treatment. The majority of subjects (75.7%) expressed that dentists are practicing good precautionary measures such as wearing PPE kits, mouth masks etc. Conclusion: During the coronavirus pandemic, the patients demonstrated good knowledge and an optimistic attitude towards the precautionary modications in regard to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the dental setting.

Anxiety, Fear and Awareness of Pakistani Dentists Against Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sana Rauf
Keyword(s):  
High Volume ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Dental Professionals

Aim: The present study aimed to assess anxiety fear and awareness among dentists working during the current Corona Virus (COVID-19) outbreak. Materials and Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed using Google Forums in March 2020. A total of 249 participants from different cities across Pakistan participated and submitted the results. The data were entered in IBM SPSS Statistics, version 22 (IBM Corp) for statistical analysis. Results: No significant relationship (P< 0.06)between the participant's responses and gender or their education was established in this study. However, increased anxiety in Pakistani dentists because ofCOVID-19 was seen; 90.0%. A large number(86.7%) of the professionals seemed to be familiar with the revised CDC and WHO guidelines in regards to cross-infection for Coronavirusin dental procedures. However the majority 66.3% reported that they did not use rubber dam isolation in their treatments and only 45% had high-volume suction in their practices to use during treatments. Conclusion: Dentists all around Pakistan are anxious and fearful at work because of the pandemic. It is absolutely vital that only emergency dental procedures are given priority in regards to treatments while all elective procedures should be deferred till the pandemic is under control. Clinical Significance: It is important to identify the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented to all dental professionals.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document