COVID-19 and dentistry: Identifying the challenges of dentist during the coronavirus outbreak

Abstract

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has intensely influenced different clinical specialty lines [1]. Nonetheless, a number of medical practitioners such as different types of oral health care providers are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection than others. The nature of the dental procedures (including the potential of aerosol generation from dental instruments), and prolonged close contacts of the dental team with patients are two important factors that can help COVID-19 occurring and spreading from infected patients to the dental team, and vice versa. Moreover, the causative agent of COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets and can be detected in different body fluids and sites such as saliva and oral mucosa. These characteristics can increase the risk of getting or transmitting COVID-19 in the dental office.