Coronavirus | Guidelines issued for dentists

Union Health Ministry says clinics to remain closed in containment zones

Migrant workers peep inside a doctor's clinic while waiting for a certificate to get medical certificates to travel back to their hometowns during a nationwide lockdown to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Mumbai on May 4, 2020. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)

The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday issued unified guidelines for dental professionals, warning that some patients making visits may be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19. It emphasised that all those visiting a dental office must be treated with due precautions.

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“Most dental procedures require close contact with the patient’s oral cavity, saliva, blood, and respiratory tract secretions, and saliva is rich in COVID-19 viral load. Hence all urgent procedures should be undertaken only after consultation, tele-triage, consent, and through pre-fixed appointments only”, the Ministry noted.

It said dental clinics would remain closed in the containment zones. However, they could continue to provide tele-triage.

Patients in this zone could seek ambulance services to travel to the nearest COVID-19 dental facility.

“In the red zone, emergency dental procedures can be performed, while the dental clinics in orange/green zones will function to provide consults. Dental operations should be restricted to emergency and urgent treatment procedures only,’’ stated the Ministry.

Risk of cross-infection

In the current pandemic, dentists, auxiliaries as well as patients undergoing dental procedures were at high risk of cross-infection. All routine and elective dental procedures should be deferred for a later review until new policy/guidelines were issued.

Due to the high risk associated with the examination of the oral cavity, oral cancer screening under National Cancer Screening programme should also be deferred.