Infection Control in Dental Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Is Changed?
Mario CaggianoAlfonso AcerraStefano MartinaMarzio GaldiFrancesco D'AmbrosioPublished in: International journal of environmental research and public health (2023)
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed our lives. Since the SARS-CoV-2 was discovered, many studies have been done on the transmission mode, its replication within humans, and its survival even in the outside environment and on inanimate surfaces. Undoubtedly, health care workers have faced the greatest risks because of their close contact with potentially infected patients. Of these, dental health care professionals are certainly among the most vulnerable categories, precisely because infection occurs with the airborne virus. The treatment of patients within the dental office has changed profoundly, respecting all preventive measures towards the patient and the practitioners themselves. The aim of this paper is to understand whether the protocols changed for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection among dentists remained even after the most acute phase of the pandemic. In particular, this study analyzed habits, protocols, preventive measures, and any costs incurred in the COVID-19 era for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection among dental workers and patients.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- oral health
- healthcare
- coronavirus disease
- primary care
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- newly diagnosed
- chronic kidney disease
- particulate matter
- prognostic factors
- escherichia coli
- climate change
- peritoneal dialysis
- staphylococcus aureus
- social media
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- risk assessment
- biofilm formation
- human health
- patient reported
- health information