26 February 2020

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The American Dental Association has released an informational handout for dentists on the coronavirus disease

Simona Chirico

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Here are the indications published on the American Dental Association (ADA) website for helping prevent the transmission of coronavirus disease:

• Patients with an acute respiratory illness may seek treatment at outpatient dental settings. The ADA recommends following standard precautions with all patients, at all times.
• Similar to patients with other flu-like illnesses, patients with COVID-19 have reported mild to severe symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. They also may have traveled to China or had close contact with someone who traveled to China within the past 14 days.
• Dental personnel should be alert and identify patients with an acute respiratory illness when they arrive, give them a disposable surgical face mask to wear and isolate them in a single-patient room with the door kept closed to limit their contact with other patients and personnel. Isolated patients should wear their masks outside their rooms.
• To help prevent the transmission of all respiratory infections, dental practices should adhere to respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette infection control measures, such as performing hand hygiene, providing tissues and no-touch receptacles to throw away used tissues and offering face masks to patients who are coughing. Offices also should follow routine cleaning and disinfection strategies used during flu season.
• Dental personnel assessing a patient with a flu-like or other respiratory illness should wear a disposable surgical face mask, nonsterile gloves, gown and eye protection to prevent exposure. Because recommendations for COVID-19 could change as more information becomes available about the disease, the ADA suggests checking for updates on the CDC's coronavirus infection control page for health care professionals.
  
  The CDC recommends all health care workers, including dentists and staff, receive the flu vaccine, and personnel experiencing a flu-like illness should not report to work.
  
  For additional informations: https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/february/ada-releases-coronavirus-handout-for-dentists-based-on-cdc-guidelines