EpiUnit, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Portugal.
Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal.
Int Dent J. 2021 Jun;71(3):271-277. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2020.12.028. Epub 2020 Dec 26.
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically changed all aspects of life. In the context of clinical dental care, a significant number of new recommendations have been implemented to comply with public health policies, ensuring the safety of dental care professionals, staff, and patients and preventing further spread of the virus. This article is the third in a series of 3 on the management of COVID-19 in clinical dental care and presents a set of recommendations and standards to be implemented in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include remote contact with all patients for triage and guidance before scheduling a clinical visit to know if they have COVID symptoms or are positive for COVID, if they belong to a risk group, and if there is a suggestion that aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) will be required during their visit. It also reviews additional precautionary measures in the waiting room and reception area, where the environment is reorganised to protect patients and clinical staff, avoiding situations that could result in cross contamination. The dental office operates under a strict set of guidelines, namely, use of personal protective equipment by professionals, contact with patients, a strategy to avoid aerosol-generating procedures, as well as disinfection procedures for the dental office before, during, and after each patient visit. The implementation of these protocols to mitigate cross infection and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the dental office will help improve safety and restore the confidence required to provide dental care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019 年冠状病毒（COVID-19）大流行戏剧性地改变了生活的方方面面。在临床牙科护理方面，为了遵守公共卫生政策，确保牙科保健专业人员、工作人员和患者的安全，并防止病毒进一步传播，实施了大量新建议。本文是关于临床牙科 COVID-19 管理的三篇系列文章中的第三篇，提出了一套在 COVID-19 大流行背景下实施的建议和标准。这些建议包括与所有患者进行远程联系，进行分诊和指导，在安排临床就诊前了解他们是否有 COVID 症状或 COVID 检测呈阳性，是否属于高危人群，以及是否有建议在就诊期间需要进行产生气溶胶的程序（AGP）。它还审查了等候室和接待区的额外预防措施，重新组织环境以保护患者和临床工作人员，避免可能导致交叉污染的情况。牙科诊所按照严格的一套准则运作，即专业人员使用个人防护设备，与患者接触，避免产生气溶胶的程序的策略，以及在每次患者就诊前后对牙科诊所进行消毒程序。实施这些协议以减轻交叉感染和严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）在牙科诊所中的传播，将有助于提高安全性，并恢复在 COVID-19 大流行期间为患者提供牙科护理所需的信心。
