COVID-19 Infection Less Threat to Dentist

The COVID-19 pandemic is straining healthcare professionals worldwide making them more vulnerable to infection with increasing demand are facing paucity of protective gears and even assaults from patient attenders. Amidst this pandemic menace, COVID-19 among Dentists in the U.S. and Associated Infection Control: a six-month longitudinal study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association provides some relief by revealing that dentists continue to have a lower infection rate than other front-line health professionals.

According to the study, the cumulative infection rate for U.S. dentists is 2.6% with the monthly incidence rate varying between 0.2% to 1.1% per month compared to other U.S. health professionals ranging from 3.3% (Chicago-based hospital physicians) to 35.3% (U.S. based emergency medicine services).

"We're pleased to see that dentists have demonstrated continued low monthly incidence of disease despite several regional and national COVID-19 rate spikes during the study period," said American Dental Association (ADA) Science and Research Institute Chief Executive Officer Marcelo Araujo, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., the senior author of the report.

The study also reveals high rates of pre-appointment screening of patients and very strict adherence to infection control measures helps to protect dental team and their patients.

Though the dental care sector is running safely with patients comfortably visiting the dentist is emphasized by this study, more research projects on the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protection against COVID-19 and infection control procedures are also required.

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Source-Eurekalert