The novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for the infection called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (coronavirus disease). On June 10, 2020, there were 12,102,328 cases contaminated and 551,046 deaths due to the COVID-19. The coronavirus infection causes respiratory alterations and is more contagious than severe acute respiratory syndrome and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Seeking to prevent further spread, the most infected regions declared state of emergency and restrictions to the population, such as quarantine, stay-in-home orders, and lockdown. WHO, National Institutes, or Ministries of Health and National Councils are constantly publishing and updating specific guidelines for each professional area. However, the coronavirus spread has provided great challenges for Medicine and Dentistry.

The effects of coronavirus in Dentistry included several biosafety measures and recommendations due to the high risk of contamination during dental care, and in some regions, dental care was limited to urgencies and emergencies. As coronavirus is abundantly present in salivary secretions of the affected patients, its spread is predominantly thought to be related to respiratory droplets and aerosols. Due to the characteristics of dental care procedures, the risk of cross-infection can be high among patients, dentists, and staff.  All routine dental care has been suspended in many countries experiencing COVID-19 disease during the period of the pandemic. In Brazil, the Federal Council of  Dentistry presented guidelines for evaluating dental urgency and emergency during the coronavirus pandemic. Dentists were advised to manage urgencies and emergencies only; however, the professionals can decide to maintain the dental offices open or to care only for patients with urgencies or emergencies. The objective of this web-based survey was to assess the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on elective and urgency/emergency dental care and dentists’ positions and concerns.

In dental care, the fear of dissemination of COVID-19 and the need for time to implement a novel biosafety protocol motivated the dentists to reduce elective procedures. In the beginning, there was not much information on how to deal with dental care appointments, especially for urgencies and emergencies. Currently, according to the present results, 95.5% of the professionals reinforced biosafety protocols of dental offices, such as the use of face shields and disposable personal protective equipment discarded after each appointment, improved suction to avoid aerosols/drop-lets dispersion, mouth rinsing with chlorhexidine before dental procedures, rubber damn isolation, and increase in time between dental care appointments. Dentists and dental staff reinforced the hand washing procedures, equipment disinfection using sodium hypochlorite, and mandatory use of disposable masks all the time. The pandemic/quarantine has negatively affected the clinical routine of dental offices, and personal protection/hygiene care must be adopted and rein-forced by dental professionals/staff and patients to make the dental procedures safer.

Regards
Sarah eve

Editorial Assistant

Journal of Oral Hygiene and Health