Abstract
It is clear that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will be with us for the foreseeable future, possibly entrenched as an endemic infection. This poses a grave threat for clinical dental practice as asymptomatic (viral) carriers unknowing of their status, may attend for treatment with the possibility of resultant disease spread to non-immune individuals in the clinic. Even if one is immune through vaccination, the temporal waning of protective antibodies may lead to mild–moderate variant-induced infection, as shown in a number of recent studies. Hence, it is likely that rapid and accurate identification of COVID-19 patients at the point-of-care (POC), that is in the clinic or during the pre-attendance period, will be a critical imperative in the foreseeable future, as a secondary safeguard, in addition to successful vaccination. There are now an array of POC diagnostic tests to detect SARS-CoV-2, and here we summarize their salient features, and the potential utility as an infection control measure in dentistry. CPD/Clinical Relevance: To describe the currently available POC diagnostic tests for COVID-19, and their utility as a critical infection control measure during dental care delivery in the immediate post-pandemic period.
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