A new framework to identify dental emergencies in the COVID-19 era.

In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), it is crucial to take extraordinary prevention and safety measures in dental offices, and to defer all elective and non-urgent procedures. Dental emergencies are defined through oral symptoms but, the systemic and psychological conditions of each patient should be considered. The present short communication proposes a multilevel evaluation (oral, systemic and psychological) and risk assessment score for the management of dental emergencies following the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) outbreak. A comprehensive categorization and score scale assessment for dental emergencies allows a better identification of patient's treatment needs and avoids unnecessary contact between dental health care providers and patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.