Please refer to the Health Alert Network (HAN) for CDC Interim Guidance on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) for Healthcare Professionals. This is the most recent CDC guidance, but may be superseded as more is learned. Visit CDC’s page on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus for the most up-to-date information. There is also a specific page for Healthcare Professionals. Currently, the risk for nCoV in the United States is low.
Generally, the Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings — 2003 notes that dental health care personnel (DHCP) may consider postponing non-emergency or elective dental procedures until a patient is no longer contagious with diseases that may be transmitted through airborne, droplet, or contact transmission (e.g., sneezing, coughing, and contact with skin).
If urgent dental treatment is necessary, DHCP and medical providers should work together to determine the appropriate precautions on a case-by-case basis to avoid the potential spread of diseases among patients, visitors, and staff. Because dental settings are not typically designed to carry out all of the Transmission-Based Precautions that are recommended for hospital and other ambulatory care settings, DHCP and medical providers will need to determine whether the facility is an appropriate setting for the necessary services for a potentially infectious patient.
Please forward to anyone that may find this information useful. Additionally, you may wish to sign up for CDC HAN updates for CDC alerts regarding updated interim clinical guidance for the 2019-nCoV or other emerging health threats. CDC also recently held a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) called Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) — Interim Guidance for Clinicians. COCA provides timely, accurate, and credible information to clinicians related to emergency preparedness and response and emerging public health threats.
CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update on Feb. 1, 2020. If you would like to receive future updates directly from COCA, please subscribe.
If you have any questions about this or other clinical issues, please e-mail [email protected].
https://success.ada.org/en/practice-management/patients/infectious-diseases-2019-novel-coronavirus
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/clinical-criteria.html
