Dental Risks and Precautions during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Turkistani, Khawlah A; Turkistani, Khadijah A

OBJECTIVE: To provide dentists and dental team with insights concerning risk and precautions during COVID-19 outbreak crisis as it would help in decision making among dental community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive review of all English and non-English articles was carried out using the available CORD-19 dataset with MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane library, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect databases. The study included all articles that matched the search terms. RESULTS: A total of 353 were retrieved, of which 13 articles were reviewed comprehensively. Studies included in this systematic review emphasized on reinforcing strict infection control measures and minimizing human-to-human contact during COVID-19 outbreak. All surfaces in operatory room including waiting area need adequate ventilation and disinfection. Dental patients need to be screened using COVID-19 targeted questions as well as measuring their body temperature. Restricting dental treatments to only emergency cases and rescheduling all routine visits is advised with careful attention to minimize aerosol generation and following highest level of personal protection when treating COVID-19 confirmed cases. Dental offices need to establish a standard protocol of case reporting and referral to other well-prepared facilities. Lastly, online platforms are beneficial tools in providing psychological support to distressed dentists, dental team and dental patients and educating public during COVID-19 crisis. CONCLUSION: Dental team need to follow strict infection control measures and minimize aerosol generation during COVID-19 outbreak. It is the responsibility of dental care workers to keep themselves informed and ensure safety and control transmission within dental facilities. Further research is required.