Dental Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study
Introduction: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classified health care professionals and exposure risk to Coronavirus, identifying Dental Professionals in very high risk group due to specificity of dental procedures and instrumentations used. As per guidelines from relevant bo...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2021-03-01
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Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/14628/47302_CE[Ra]_F(Sh)_PF1(AKA_SHU)_PFA(SHU)_PN(SHU).pdf |
Summary: | Introduction: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) classified health care professionals and exposure
risk to Coronavirus, identifying Dental Professionals in very
high risk group due to specificity of dental procedures and
instrumentations used. As per guidelines from relevant bodies
to provide only emergency and urgent dental treatment has led
majority of dental practice to stop, instilling apprehension in
profession and fear in public.
Aim: To narrate the experience from Department of Dentistry,
on how to safely and effectively practice dentistry that would
provide guidance to practicing dental professionals without
major environment alteration and capital items requirement.
Materials and Methods: This was an observational study from
Department of Dentistry from May to August 2020, attached
to a rural tertiary care medical teaching institute, following
customised protocol after reviewing available guidelines in
relation to Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and dentistry.
Data collection was done from Institutional Electronic Medical
Record System for patients receiving dental treatment during
the study period. It used descriptive narrative analysis to
provide chronology of experiences for practicing dentistry as
per various unlock phases declared by Government of India.
Results: The Department of Dentistry was able to manage four
Non-Aerosol Generating Procedures (Non-AGP), three Aerosol
Generating Procedures (AGP) and eighteen Outdoor Patient
Department (OPD) consultations on an average for a working day,
from May to August 2020. During the tenure while providing dental
care, none of the member of dental team was detected COVID
positive. The result was achieved by simple alteration done by
patient, man-power, practice and environment management.
Conclusion: A simple alteration in practice and practice area
ensuring safety of all members of dental team was made by
department. It included the effective use of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) during all dental procedures including oral
examination. Special emphasis on history of patients, facility
and environment management along with regular training
for hand hygiene, donning-doffing, aerosol appointment and
practice was given. An attempt to provide prophylactic and
elective dental need of patients were done and department was
successfully able to treat seven patients per day on an average
during May to August, 2020. |
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ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |