The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, and this emergency led to postponing elective dental care procedures. The postponing aimed to protect the public from an unknown risk caused by COVID-19. At the beginning of the outbreak, for public health authorities, the aerosol-generating procedures and the close proximity between dental care workers and patients in dentistry represented sufficient justification for the delay of dental visits. Dental care is a priority, and for many years, studies have proven that the lack and delay of dental care can cause severe consequences for the oral health of the general population, which can cause a high global burden of oral diseases. Safety is necessary while resuming dental activities, and risk assessment is an efficient method for understanding and preventing the COVID-19 infectious threats facing the dental industry and affecting dental care workers and patients. In this study, for safe dental care delivery, we adapted risk assessment criteria and an approach and an occupational classification system. Based on those tools, we also recommend measures that can help to minimize infectious risk in dental settings.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, and this emergency led to postponing elective dental
care
procedures. The postponing aimed to protect the public from an unknown
risk
caused by COVID-19. At the beginning of the outbreak, for public health authorities, the aerosol-generating procedures and the
close proximity
between dental
care
workers and patients in dentistry represented sufficient justification for the delay of dental visits. Dental
care
is a priority, and for
many
years, studies have proven that the lack and delay of dental
care
can cause severe consequences for the oral health of the general population, which can cause a high global burden of oral diseases. Safety is necessary while resuming dental activities, and
risk
assessment is an efficient method for understanding and preventing the COVID-19 infectious threats facing the dental industry and affecting dental
care
workers and patients. In this study, for safe dental
care
delivery, we adapted
risk
assessment criteria and an approach and an occupational classification system. Based on those tools, we
also
recommend measures that can
help
to minimize infectious
risk
in dental settings.