Emergency Management in a Dental Clinic During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic in Beijing

• Main Authors: Chao Wang, Li Miao, Zhigang Wang, Yanjie Xiong, Yang Jiao, Hongchen Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-02-01
• Series: International Dental Journal
• Subjects: COVID-19; Risk management; Epidemiology; Cross-infection; Health policy; Public policy
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653920365126

Background: In mid-March 2020, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was to be characterised as a pandemic. The purpose of this article is to recommend emergency management procedures for dental clinics during this public health emergency. Materials and Methods: We have implemented a series of emergency management measures to prevent cross-infection in our dental clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, including personnel scheduling, division of the clinic into functional areas, limitation or delay of non-emergency patients, staff protection and infection controls, clinical environmental disinfection, and the use of online consultation services, among others. Results: Due to public health policy and dental emergency management, the number of dental visitors to our clinic dropped sharply, and no COVID-19 suspected cases or high-risk patients received treatment. There have been no reports of infection of dental staff or patients during dental treatment in China to date. Conclusion: These public health policies and dental emergency management measures were effective in controlling cross-infection of COVID-19 in the dental clinic. Practical Implications: We share control measures for COVID-19, and hope that they will be helpful for dental professionals worldwide to continue to provide dental care in a safe and orderly manner.