scholarly journals Infection control and management conventions for a dental health professional against a covid-19 pandemic virus

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103
Author(s):  
Shweta V Annaldasula ◽  
◽  
Avinash Rathore ◽  
Kreetika Aggarwal ◽  
Shivangi Rathore ◽  
...  

The ongoing episode and outbreak of serious intense respiratory condition called as Covid-19 has caused health concerns affecting the entire world owing to the community spread pattern of infection. The infection caused by the virus manifests in nasopharyngeal and salivary secretions of affected patients causing pneumonia or severe acute respiratory disorder. The dental professionals are at the highest risk for transmission due to the possibility of aerosols produced by salivary droplets as well as face to face communication. These aerosols can be either inhaled or can contact the skin and has a tendency to accumulate on the surfaces in the dental clinics. The aim of article is to provide an insight over etiology, pathogenesis, screening modalities, patient education, infection control, research and essential knowledge about COVID19 and management protocols amongst the health care professionals and clinical practioners

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-248
Author(s):  
Suraksha Shrestha ◽  
Smriti Narayan Thakur ◽  
Najma Dulal

Background: Infection control is an imperative issue in the dental practice. Almost all of the dental procedures involve dealing with the saliva, blood and oral fluids which may have sufficient pathogens and cause cross infection through contaminated instruments, materials and surfaces. Therefore the dental health care workers must be aware of the possible contamination and should follow the measures to prevent it. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge of dental health care professionals regarding infection control and modes of infection control employed by them during one of the dental procedure i.e. impression making. Methods: A self-assessment questionnaire based survey was carried out among dental health care professionals to assess the knowledge and practice of infection control in dental clinics. Survey instruments containing 14 questions were randomly distributed to 113 dental health care professionals regarding knowledge of infection control methods and infection control practice during impression making in dental clinics and hospitals. Data was collected and analyzed. Results: Though most of the health care professionals (88.6 %) think an impression taken from patient mouth will have enough pathogens to cause cross infection, our study showed that only 52.3 % of them disinfect all the impression and washing impression under running water was the method used for disinfection by the majority (78.9 %). Conclusions: The knowledge about infection control during impression making is better among the dental health care professionals. But there is a need to improve the practice to minimize cross infection in dental set up and reduce the associated morbidity and mortality rates for both dental practitioners themselves and patients. Keywords: dental impression; infection control; disinfection; knowledge; dental healthcare professional


Author(s):  
Suhael Ahmed ◽  
Khaled Saad Hamad Alotaibi ◽  
Fatima Abdullah Binyahya ◽  
Ibrahim Abduljalil Albaijan ◽  
Nasser Ahmed Alfaleh ◽  
...  

Aim: The purpose of our research was to assess the knowledge and awareness regarding infection control practice against coronavirus infection in various dental clinics in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A descriptive survey was conducted amongst 200 dentists. The study was conceptualised in riyadh elm university, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and inlcuded dentists from various dental clinics across kingdom of saudi arabia in the month of november,2020.  A questionnaire consisting of 12 questions was distributed, based upon knowledge of COVID-19, transmission as well as prevention strategies that can be implemented in dental clinics for stopping the chain of outbreak of this pandemic. The data was analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics using SPSS 25 software. Results: 71% of study participants felt the need for using N-95 masks routinely during patient treatment. An astounding number of participants (92%), believed that there have been significant changes in infection control after COVID-19 pandemic. 65% of participants believed that High volume evacuators (HVE) suction devices, as well as High efficiency articulate air (HEPA) filters, need to be used to control aerosol spread so as to prevent COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: Dentists in Saudi Arabia showed satisfactory knowledge and positive attitude towards COVID-19. Improving dentists’ level of knowledge could be achieved through increasing their accessibility to materials provided by dental health care authorities, which specifies the best and safest approaches for dealing with patients during and after the outbreak.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1284-1288
Author(s):  
Vinod Anju ◽  
◽  
Ruchika Iyer ◽  

Background and Objectives: Dentists are at a higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 than the lay persons due to exposure of aerosols and saliva. Hence, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has updated the protocols that need to be implemented during COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed at evaluating the awareness among the dental practitioners regarding the interim changes in infection control protocols recommended by CDC during the pandemic and implementation of the same in the clinical practise. Materials and Methodology: Four hundred general dental practitioners and specialists participated in the study(n=400). The study was conducted as an anonymous web-based survey and respond­ing to the survey was considered implicit consent. The survey had 17 questions addressing the respondents characteristics, awareness about the changes in protocol by CDC and implementation of the same in the waiting area, operatory and postoperative care respectively. Results: The results of the study indicated that the awareness amongst the dental health care professionals both in general and specialisedpractise regarding the interim infection control protocols was relatively good. However, there were certain protocols that werent implemented owing to some difficulties faced by the dentists in their clinical practise. Interpretation and Conclusion: In spite of the relatively good knowledge regarding the interim infection control protocols, implementation of certain protocols was found to be lacking. Hence, the awareness regarding these guidelines must be increased through various continuing education programs and short-term courses on infection control and cross infection management during covid-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (03) ◽  
pp. 395-400
Author(s):  
Palak Srivastava ◽  
Pranjan Mitra

The ongoing COVID19 pandemic has been a jarring blow to dental professionals as dental treatment requires close face-to-face encounters. To sustain the dental practice, Teledentistry is a cogent solution to continue providing dental care without adding to the risk of cross-infection via information technology. It is a necessary tool to obtain a balance between the safety of health care professionals still providing dental care to patients needing immediate intervention. The future of teledentistry is not limited to the pandemic its improvident to restrict the use of teledentistry when it has the potential to enhance the present dental health care delivery system.


The Physician ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Gowri Sivaramakrishnan ◽  
Fatema Al Sulaiti ◽  
Muneera Al sobaiei

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.


Author(s):  
Ola Albaghdadi ◽  
Salam , Mohammad Hassan Morteza, Firas A Ahjel ◽  
Mohammad Hassan Morteza ◽  
Firas Aziz Rahi

Aims: Elderly in Iraq kept suffering multiple burdens, as they are a truly fragile and vulnerable segment. A major public health issue among elderly is adverse drug reactions. This study is aimed at contributing in overcoming this treatment gap by determining the prevalence of inappropriate medications used by a group of Iraqi elderly outpatients. Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted in a sample of 85 Iraqi elderly aged ≥65 years of either gender. Participants had face-to-face interviews to answer a comprehensive questionnaire. Each drug taken by the patient was evaluated according to Beers criteria. Results: Females constituted 45.9% of the total. The average age was 69.9 years (± 4.6). Nearly 30% of the patients had 3 different diseases, and 17.8% had ≥4 different ones, with cardiovascular diseases were the most prevalent. Polypharmacy was notably identified in 47.1% of the total studied population. Twenty-eight out of 85 patients did not know the actual reason of taking at least one of their medications, and 42% were not taking their drugs as directed. Remarkably, 43.5% of patients were recognized as taking at least one medication to be avoided in elderly people according to the Beers criteria. The most common inappropriate drugs were glyburide, and proton-pump inhibitors. Conclusion: There was an obvious absence of any role of pharmacists in the health care system for our studied population. Health care professionals are encouraged to review the medications prescribed for geriatric patients using updated safety guidelines to prevent the risks associated with potentially inappropriate medications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232098783
Author(s):  
Stacey Power ◽  
Keelin O’Donoghue ◽  
Sarah Meaney

Ireland has had a reliance on voluntary groups to provide peer-to-peer bereavement support. The aim of this study was to explore volunteers’, within these voluntary groups, experiences of supporting parents following a fatal fetal anomaly diagnosis. Purposive sampling was used to recruit volunteers ( n = 17) and face-to-face interviews undertaken. NVivo12 was utilized to assist in the thematic analysis of the data. Five themes; “motivation for altruistic acts,” “being challenged,” “value of education and training,” “supporting volunteers to support others,” and “it is not a sprint, it is a marathon” were identified. Volunteers felt comfortable in their peer-support role but found the lack of knowledge regarding newly implemented termination of pregnancy (TOP) services challenging. The importance of education/training was identified, emphasizing the need for collaboration with health care professionals and other voluntary organizations for support. The findings illustrate the need for collaborative working between health care professionals and volunteers to assist them in supporting bereaved parents.


2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 1342-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Y. Lin ◽  
M. J. M. Bonten

Author(s):  
Maximiliane Amelie Schlenz ◽  
Alexander Schmidt ◽  
Bernd Wöstmann ◽  
Andreas May ◽  
Hans-Peter Howaldt ◽  
...  

Dental care has been affected by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) worldwide. In contrast to other dental clinics, the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen (Germany) decided not to limit dental treatment to emergencies alone, but to continue dental care for all patients, with increased safety measures. As such, health care professionals may be exposed to additional physical and mental stress. The aim of this study was to assess the perspectives of all persons involved in dental care (dentists, dental assistants, students, and patients) regarding the aspects of safety measures, anxiety about self-infection and infecting others, and other prospects in the period March to December 2020 using a questionnaire. Data collection was performed between 14 December 2020 and 23 January 2021. A total of 35 dentists (response rate of 79.5%), 23 dental assistants (65.7%), 84 students (80%), and 51 patients (21.8%) completed the survey. The patients did not notice any changes in the care received. Dentists and dental assistants reported a higher workload due to additional safety measures. The majority of dentists, students, and patients agreed that normal patient care was maintained. One-third of dental assistants would have preferred emergency treatment alone and expressed significantly higher anxiety about COVID-19 infection than all other groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, all groups showed a predominantly positive perspective on dental care, and anxiety about self-infection and infecting others was especially low. However, additional measures are time-consuming and compound daily patient care. This concept, based on well-established infection control, might be a viable proposal for current and future pandemics.


Author(s):  
Cagla Yigitbas

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge of students receiving different levels of health-care education (doctors, nurses, paramedics) on chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear weapons (CBRNW). Methods: This study was designed as a qualitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional research. The study reached 87.68% of the population. A survey form was created by the researcher in line with the literature. Ethical permission and verbal consents were obtained. The data were collected by face-to-face interviews. Results: It was observed that there was no difference between the enrolled departments, that the participants had very low levels of knowledge on the subject despite considering it a likely threat for Turkey, and that they thought the public and the health-care professionals in this field had insufficient knowledge. Sex, age, and field education were the variables that created a difference. Conclusion: Training regarding CBRNW should be further questioned and individuals should receive ongoing training to increase and update their knowledge and skills.


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