Dental Practice after COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of Italian Guidelines and Current Literature to Propose Appropriate Protocols for Dental Practices
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Abstract
On March 11th, 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. This disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a virus that can be spread by symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers through contact, droplets and airborne transmission. Because of the transmission routes of this virus, dental treatments are considered “high risk” procedures, both for patients and operators. Italy was one of the most affected European countries and experienced a long lockdown period. Guidelines were provided by the Italian Health Ministry for a safe reopening of dental practices. In this article those guidelines are reported and compared with the available literature. The Italian model for reopening dental practice appears to be coherent with the indications provided by WHO and is supported by several studies.
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15- van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, Holbrook MG, Gamble A, Williamson BN, et al. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020 Apr 16;382(16):1564-7.
2- Rothe C, Schunk M, Sothmann P, Bretzel G, Froeschl G, Wallrauch C, et al. Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany. N Engl J Med. 2020 Mar 5;382(10):970-1.
3- Meng L, Hua F, Bian Z. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Emerging and Future Challenges for Dental and Oral Medicine. J Dent Res. 2020 May;99(5):481-7.
4- Peng X, Xu X, Li Y, Cheng L, Zhou X, Ren B. Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice. Int J Oral Sci. 2020 Mar 3;12(1):9.
5- Careddu R, Ciaschetti M, Creavin G, Molina F, Plotino G. COVID-19 and Dental Practice: Overview and Protocols during Pandemic. Giorn Ita End. 2020 Apr;34(1):13–19.
6- http://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_pubblicazioni_2917_allegato.pdf
7- Fong MW, Gao H, Wong JY, Xiao J, Shiu EYC, Ryu S, et al. Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings-Social Distancing Measures. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 May;26(5):976-84.
8- Yang Y, Soh HY, Cai ZG, Peng X, Zhang Y, Guo CB. Experience of Diagnosing and Managing Patients in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery during the Prevention and Control Period of the New Coronavirus Pneumonia. Chin J Dent Res. 2020;23(1):57-62.
9- Ather A, Patel B, Ruparel NB, Diogenes A, Hargreaves KM. Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19): Implications for Clinical Dental Care. J Endod. 2020 May;46(5):584-95.
10- Farooq I, Ali S. COVID-19 outbreak and its monetary implications for dental practices, hospitals and healthcare workers. Postgrad Med J. 2020 Dec;96(1142):791-92.
11- Kampf G, Todt D, Pfaender S, Steinmann E. Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents. J Hosp Infect. 2020 Mar;104(3):246-51.
12- Wax RS, Christian MD. Practical recommendations for critical care and anesthesiology teams caring for novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patients. Can J Anaesth. 2020 May;67(5):568-76.
13- Bartoszko JJ, Farooqi MAM, Alhazzani W, Loeb M. Medical masks vs N95 respirators for preventing COVID-19 in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2020 Jul;14(4):365-73.
14- Verbeek JH, Rajamaki B, Ijaz S, Sauni R, Toomey E, Blackwood B, et al. Personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Apr 15;4(4):CD011621.
15- van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, Holbrook MG, Gamble A, Williamson BN, et al. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020 Apr 16;382(16):1564-7.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 18 (Continuously Published Article-Based) | |
| Section | Short Communication | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/fid.v18i16.6141 | |
| Keywords | ||
| COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Dentistry | ||
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Careddu R, Creavin G, Plotino G. Dental Practice after COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of Italian Guidelines and Current Literature to Propose Appropriate Protocols for Dental Practices. Front Dent. 2021;18.
