DT News - India - CDC guidelines for COVID-19 control in dental settings

Dental Tribune USA

Sun. 22 March 2020

save

CHICAGO, Ill., USA: The American Dental Association is urging dental professionals across the U.S. to view the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 situation summary web page for current insight.

You can access the CDC summary page at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html.

The risk of transmission in the U.S. was being described as low at the time of the latest CDC update (March 15), but the CDC was emphasizing that standard precautions should be taken with all patients at all times.

The CDC is providing up-to-date information to the public and health-care providers on the status of reported cases of COVID-19.

Initial cases were reported in Wuhan, China, and it is currently thought that the most likely mode of transmission is human to human. There are several reports of transmission from an asymptomatic person with the infection, so there remains much to be learned about how COVID-19 spreads.

Availability of personal protective equipment

The CDC has not changed its guidance on single-use disposable facemasks, which are regulated by the FDA to be single use and should be worn once and discarded. Page 41 of the CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings has the following guidance:

1. Wear a surgical mask and eye protection with solid side shields or a face shield to protect mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth during procedures likely to generate splashing or spattering of blood or other body fluids;

2. Change masks between patients, or during patient treatment if the mask becomes wet.

The CDC urges dental health-care personnel concerned about health-care supply for personal protective equipment to monitor Healthcare Supply of Personal Protective Equipment for updated guidance, and to be familiar with the Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations.

The CDC guidelines note that, in cases when a patient presents with symptoms of a respiratory infection, dental health-care personnel may consider postponing non-emergency or elective dental procedures until a patient is no longer contagious with diseases that may be transmitted through airborne, droplet, or contact transmission (e.g., sneezing, coughing and contact with skin).

If urgent dental treatment is necessary, dental health-care personnel and medical providers should work together to determine the appropriate precautions on a case-by-case basis to avoid the potential spread of diseases among patients, visitors and staff. Because dental settings are not typically designed to carry out all of the transmission-based precautions that are recommended for hospital and other ambulatory care settings, dental health-care personnel and medical providers will need to determine whether the facility is an appropriate setting for the necessary services for a potentially infectious patient.

Prevention of suspected respiratory disease transmission in the dental health-care setting

Patients with an acute respiratory illness may present for dental treatment at outpatient dental settings. The primary infection-control goal is to prevent transmission of disease. The CDC recommends a multi-step approach that begins before the patient arrives at the practice and includes guidance regarding arrival and for the duration of the affected patient’s presence in the practice.

It may not be possible to know the cause of any patient’s illness, so it is important to follow this guidance and standard precautions at all times.

Infection control issues during patient assessment:

Patients with an acute respiratory illness should be identified at check-in and placed in a single-patient room with the door kept closed.
Seek to prevent the transmission of respiratory infections in health-care settings by adhering to respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette infection-control measures at the first point of contact with any potentially infected person https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/resphygiene.htm.
Offer a disposable surgical mask to persons who are coughing; and provide tissues and no-touch receptacles for used tissue disposal.
Ill persons should wear a surgical mask when outside the patient room.
Dental health-care personnel assessing a patient with influenza-like or other respiratory illness should wear disposable surgical facemask,* non-sterile gloves, gown and eye protection (e.g., goggles) to prevent exposure. Because recommendations may change as additional information becomes available, it’s a good idea to check the CDC website for COVID-19 updates at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/infection-control.html.
Patient and dental health-care workers should perform hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing with non-antimicrobial soap and water, alcohol-based hand rub, or antiseptic handwash) after possible contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.
Routine cleaning and disinfection strategies used during influenza seasons can be applied to the environmental management for COVID-19. More information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/gl_environinfection.html.

*Until additional specific information is available regarding the behavior of COVID-19, the guidance provided in the “Interim Guidance for the Use of Masks to Control Seasonal Influenza Virus Transmission” (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/maskguidance.htm) is recommended at this time. Also recommended is a review of Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/healthcaresettings.htm.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are the signs/symptoms and risk factors for COVID-19?

Similar to patients with other flu-like diseases, patients with known COVID-19 have reported mild to severe symptoms which can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Patients may also report a recent trip to China, or a close contact with someone who traveled to China within the past 14 days.

2) Where can I find current, credible information about COVID-19?

CDC’s website includes numerous resources for health-care workers including:

Interim CDC Guidance for Healthcare Professionals at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-criteria.html.
A one-page flowchart to identify and assess 2019 coronavirus at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/2019-nCoV-identify-assess-flowchart-508.pdf.
The 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation summary at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html.
Resources for hospitals and health-care professionals preparing for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/preparedness-checklists.html.
Health-care professional preparedness checklist for transport and arrival of patients potentially Infected with COVID-19 at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/hcp-personnel-checklist.html.
The CDC’s influenza updates and recommendations at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/.

3) I know it is much more likely that a patient with the flu may come to the office for dental treatment. What are the CDC recommendations for dental staff to receive the flu vaccine?

CDC recommends that all health-care workers, including dentists and staff, receive the flu vaccine. Information on CDC’s recommendations for immunization can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/rec-vac/hcw.html.

4) Should staff report to work with acute respiratory symptoms?

Staff experiencing influenza-like-illness (fever with either cough or sore throat, muscle aches) should not report to work.
Staff who experience influenza-like-illness and wish to seek medical care should contact their health-care providers to report illness (by telephone or other remote means) before seeking care at a clinic, physician’s office, or hospital.
Staff who have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, or are believed to be severely ill, should seek immediate medical attention.

Summary

Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette infection-control measures along with contact precautions are currently recommended for preventing transmission of COVID-19 and all flu-like illnesses in a dental health-care setting. The CDC continues to monitor activity relating to COVID-19 and is coordinating efforts with health departments in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin and communicating with the World Health Organization. This is an evolving situation and CDC is updating its guidance and information as it becomes available.

This information is brought to readers by the ADA Practice Institute. For more information, you can contact the Center for Dental Practice at dentalpractice@ada.org or (312) 440-2895.

(Sources: ADA and CDC)

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

COVID-19: Study shows benefits of local exhaust ventilation in dental settings

NEWCASTLE, UK: One of the main ways in which SARS-CoV-2 is communicated is through airborne respiratory droplets—droplets that can be dispersed as a ...

Expert reports on COVID-19 situation in dental clinic in Wuhan

WUHAN, China: As the Dean of the School and Hospital of Stomatology of Wuhan University, Prof. Zhuan Bian has had first-hand experience of the working ...

WHO rejects remdesivir for COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) panel, in its latest statement, has recommended against the use of the remdesivir, an antiviral drug, in hospitalized ...

New case control study by ICMR shows Hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19 in healthcare workers

The use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has generated considerable debate after the US President Donald Trump was seen pushing the drug, against the FDA ...

Coronavirus guidelines for dental practitioners and students

WUHAN, China: The COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, has become a serious public health challenge of international concern. Researchers from ...

CDC updates (Sept 18 & 21, 2020) on Covid-19 spread & SARS-CoV-2 testing: Relevant to dentists

Two updates (Sept 18 & 21, 2020) by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on Covid-19 guidelines, which are relevant to dental practice.

COVID-19 and mental health

Mind your mind because a dilapidated one is worse than having none. Dr. Bhavdeep Singh Ahuja emphasizes the importance of mental health in these challenging...

How is COVID-19 affecting the dental industry?

LEIPZIG, Germany: Months after it was first detected in Wuhan, one of China’s largest cities, the effects of the ongoing coronavirus (since named ...

Latest (Dec 2020) updates from WHO and CDC on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19

Dr Ashwini Bhangale (BDS) summarizes the latest updates on the use of masks - from the World Health Organization (WHO), released on 1 Dec 2020 and the ...

Be prepared for COVID-19, but don’t panic, says Indian Dental Association

MUMBAI, India: Dental colleges in India are currently closed, and dental clinics across the country have been advised to suspend all non-essential ...

Education

Live webinar
Mon. 22 April 2024
7:30 pm IST (New Delhi)