Significance of Wearing a Mask While Attending Patients in the Dental Chair

Abstract

In the field of dentistry, the exposure of microorganisms in the blood and saliva to the dentist is high because of direct contact of the dentist to the oral cavity. To minimize the risk of infection the dental practitioners are advised to use face masks as protection against infection. The use of face masks helps in reducing the transmission of disease. The mouth mask helps in prevention against bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. The mouth mask helps the clinician and workers in the clinic to protect them from disease spread. The surgical face mask is very important to prevent aerosol transmission from the patient to the clinician and from clinician to patient. The face mask acts as a protective barrier against the oral pathogens and serves as good personal protective equipment. It plays a role in pandemic situations to prevent the transmission of diseases and serves as a main personal protective measure. According to the CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention), the mouth masks are the main protective equipment used by the dentist to avoid the transmission of the infection while using mechanical instruments. This study was done to know the dental importance of wearing a mouth mask while treating a patient in the dental chair.