Management protocol for dental outpatient department during the COVID-19
pandemic: documenting best practices
Abstract
Objectives: The ongoing outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
infection (COVID-19) has been declared as a global pandemic by the World
Health Organization. It is a highly contagious disease that poses a
grave threat to human health. Dental practice involves close contact
with the airway and dental procedures entail generation of intense
aerosol sprays; the virus particles can survive within small droplets in
the air for several hours. Thus, dental practice is associated with a
high risk of cross infection. This article describes the patient
management process and its performance at the outpatient department of a
specialized dental hospital during the COVID-19 epidemic in Xi’an,
China. The objective is to provide a reference for management protocols
for dental clinics and dental specialty centers across the world.
Methods: A specialized management protocol for staff, patients, and
material management for dental clinic during the epidemic was
implemented since February 3 2020. The numbers of outpatient visits,
distribution of oral diseases, demographic characteristics of patients,
and COVID-19 infection among patients and staff from February 3 to March
15 are described. Results: The management protocols at the dental clinic
were tailored according to the level of national emergency response for
COVID-19. The number of physical consultations at the hospital was
effectively controlled with use of online consulting service. Dental
emergency patients were managed safely. Conclusion: The management
protocol and infection prevention and control strategies adopted at our
institution are effective in treating dental emergencies while
controlling the spread of COVID-19 virus in oral clinics.