Moore Richard, Keshani Divya, Coulthard Paul
Clinical Lecturer in Oral Surgery, Division of Oral Surgery & Oral Medicine The University of Leeds Leeds UK.
Consultant Oral Surgeon Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St Lukes Hospital Bradford UK.
Oral Surg. 2022 Aug;15(3):315-323. doi: 10.1111/ors.12726. Epub 2022 Feb 23.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, and all routine dental care in England was suspended on 25 March 2020. Oral surgeons typically continued their roles due to the requirement of surgical expertise in the management of urgent care.
To survey the British Association of Oral Surgeons' membership of 654 exploring the impact and response of the speciality in the early phase of the pandemic.
British Association of Oral Surgeons members were invited to participate in a weekly online survey commencing 30th March 2020 for 4 weeks. Themes explored included demographics, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), clinical role and care provided, and financial impact.
400 responses were received over the 4-week period. Telephone advice was rapidly introduced ahead of clinical examinations. Few oral surgeons were initially able to provide emergency oral surgery procedures or clinical examinations due to PPE shortage. Only a small proportion of oral surgeons were required themselves to isolate and only a small proportion were redeployed.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted UK oral surgery services particularly in the early stage and highlight the lack of preparedness. As availability of PPE and evidence on aerosol-generating procedures and infection control became more readily accessible, surgeons became more confident to provide emergency surgical treatment rather than just phone consultations. The impact on patients' oral health is likely to have been profound.
2020年3月11日，冠状病毒病（COVID-19）被宣布为全球大流行疾病，2020年3月25日，英格兰所有常规牙科护理暂停。由于紧急护理管理中对外科专业知识的需求，口腔外科医生通常继续履行职责。
对英国口腔外科医生协会654名成员进行调查，探讨该专业在大流行早期阶段的影响和应对措施。
邀请英国口腔外科医生协会成员参加从2020年3月30日开始为期4周的每周在线调查。探讨的主题包括人口统计学、个人防护装备（PPE）、临床角色和提供的护理以及财务影响。
在4周内共收到400份回复。在临床检查之前迅速引入了电话咨询。由于个人防护装备短缺，很少有口腔外科医生最初能够提供急诊口腔外科手术或临床检查。只有一小部分口腔外科医生被要求自行隔离，只有一小部分被重新部署。
COVID-19大流行严重扰乱了英国口腔外科服务，尤其是在早期阶段，并凸显了准备不足的问题。随着个人防护装备的供应以及关于产生气溶胶程序和感染控制的证据更容易获得，外科医生对提供急诊手术治疗而不仅仅是电话咨询更有信心。对患者口腔健康的影响可能是深远的。
