Al-Sehaibany Fares S
Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail.
Saudi Med J. 2017 Apr;38(4):339-343. doi: 10.15537/smj.2017.4.15777.
As of January 2016, 1,633 laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection and 587 MERS-related deaths have been reported by the World Health Organization globally. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus may occur sporadically in communities or may be transmitted within families or hospitals. The number of confirmed MERS-CoV cases among healthcare workers has been increasing. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus may also spread through aerosols generated during various dental treatments, resulting in transmission between patients and dentists. As MERS-CoV cases have also been reported among children, pediatric dentists are at risk of MERS-CoV infection. This review discusses MERS-CoV infection in children and healthcare workers, especially pediatric dentists, and considerations pertaining to pediatric dentistry. Although no cases of MERS-CoV transmission between a patient and a dentist have yet been reported, the risk of MERS-CoV transmission from an infected patient may be high due to the unique work environment of dentists (aerosol generation).
截至2016年1月，世界卫生组织全球报告了1633例实验室确诊的中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）感染病例和587例与中东呼吸综合征相关的死亡病例。中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒可能在社区中散在发生，也可能在家庭或医院内传播。医护人员中确诊的中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒病例数量一直在增加。中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒还可能通过各种牙科治疗过程中产生的气溶胶传播，导致患者与牙医之间的传播。由于儿童中也报告了中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒病例，儿科牙医有感染中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒的风险。本文综述了儿童和医护人员，特别是儿科牙医中的中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒感染情况，以及与儿童牙科相关的注意事项。尽管尚未报告患者与牙医之间发生中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒传播的病例，但由于牙医独特的工作环境（产生气溶胶），感染患者传播中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒的风险可能很高。
