J Dent Oral Biol | Volume 7, Issue 3 | Research Article | Open Access
Sachin Kumar Jadhav*
Department of Dentistry, Institute of Dental Sciences, Post Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, India
*Correspondance to: Sachin Kumar Jadhav
Fulltext PDFAim of the review was to evaluate the role of infection control measures and control of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dental office. The Objectives of the study was to evaluate the infection control measures before and after the visit of patient, to evaluate the awareness of dentists regarding SARS-CoV-2, to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of dentists regarding infection control measures and control of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dental office. And to evaluate their ability in identifying the source of infection and measures to curb it. This review sought to answer a clearly focused question to assess the infection control measures in dental practice during COVID-19 pandemic began with a literature search covering the electronic databases: Cochrane library, PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct and Google scholar. The string of English search term “COVID-19” yielded 118,179 articles and when the search was further refined using terms like “COVID-19” AND “dentistry” and infection control” 261 articles were obtained. All the titles of studies generated by the search strategy were studied for relevance, and then abstracts of relevant studies were assessed. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs mainly through direct contact with micro droplets or core droplets that remain suspended as aerosol over a long period of time. Moreover, it has been reported that infected subjects, both with and without clinical signs of COVID-19, can transmit the virus. SARS-CoV-2 virus enters human body mainly through direct contact and inhalation that is through mouth, nose, and eyes when they are touched by infected hands. Dental practice poses highest risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to generation of aerosol and contact with saliva. Considering the virus' route of transmission, a specific protocol should be applied to reduce the risk of infection in addition to measures that prevent the spread of infection from a patient to another person or medical tools and equipment (cross-infection). The practice of dentistry without proper infection control practices may result in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection because of droplet infection. Dental patients, dentists, and their co-workers can be easily exposed to novel corona virus infections since SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted from person to person through droplets, contact, and saliva. Hence, dental professionals belong to a highrisk group of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection. This review focused on the methods, protocols, and recent reports regarding the nCoV-19 infection and the transmission process, which could occur during routine dental treatment and surgeries. While the current evidence does not show a clear and direct link between dental care or surgery and the chance of COVID-19 transfer, there is obviously the chance of transmission. Following the protective protocols in the COVID-19 crisis is therefore essential in a dental context, according to the existing literature. Surface disinfectants with a concentration of 62 to 71 percent ethanol and a concentration of 0.1 to 0.5 percent sodium hypochlorite are considered the best. There are certain limits to this review. There are a limited and heterogeneous number of primary sources directly related to the repercussions of SARS-CoV-2 on the dental discipline in the literature due to the current emergency. In the future, more research will be required.
Dental office; Prevention; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19
Jadhav SK. Sterilization and Infection Control Practices to Prevent Transmission of COVID-19 in Dental Office. J Dent Oral Biol. 2022; 7(3): 1195. ISSN: 2475-5680.