Dentistry has a long history of practicing in an environment very different from the medical field in that we work within inches of a body cavity every day and use instruments that cause aerosolization, splatter and visible spray. Within this spray are droplets of debris, saliva, blood, and/or microorganisms. This is not a new revelation. This has been our world for many, many years. The fact is that in the United States COVID-19 transmission has not been connected to dentistry in any cluster of any kind. Dental health care workers have not been identified as having tested positive for COVID-19 based upon their employment. In fact, none of the respiratory diseases e.g., Tuberculosis, Pertussis, SARS-CoV, MERS or even the seasonal flu has been reported to be caused by the provision of dental services. That being said, the fact is that some of our patients we treat may have some type of illness, whether they realize it or not. I have treated children who were sent home from school with a fever and yet they are still brought in for a dental appointment! I bet you can relate.
Fact: Clusters of health care personnel in the U.S. have tested positive in hospital settings and long-term care facilities, but none in dental health care settings or among dental health care workers.
Fact: Over 700 dental emergency patients were treated at The School of Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University in February 2020 without detrimental effects to the workers providing treatment.
Fact: We must employ the most up-to-date precautions due to the asymptomatic manner of this current virus and the nature of our work with aerosol generating procedures.
Fact: COVID-19, SARS-CoV, MERS, TB, Pertussis clustered transmissions in patients or workers have not been connected to the practice of dentistry or dental hygiene.
Fact: We must ensure our infection control and safety protocols are impeccable.
Fear could stand for Face Everything And Rise as we do good work by keeping ourselves, our teams and patients safe in our practices.