The prevention and control of a new coronavirus infection in department of stomatology

Abstract

During a short period of time, the outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus, named Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (NCP), was first reported in China, spreading to 24 countries and regions rapidly. The number of confirmed cases and deaths continued to rise. World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the outbreaks of the novel coronavirus have constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Efficient infection control can prevent the virus from further spreading, which makes the epidemic situation under control. Due to the specialty of oral healthcare settings, the risk of cross infection is severe among patients and oral healthcare practitioners. It's more urgent to implement strict and efficient infection control protocols. This paper, based on existing guidelines and published researches pertinent to dental infection-control principles and practices, mainly discusses epidemiological characteristics of NCP and the features of nosocomial infection in oral healthcare settings, and furthermore provides recommendations on patient's evaluation, and infection control protocols in department of stomatology under current circumstance..