Vol. 11 – Number 43 – 2020
COLUMN STAY INSIDE
Page 8
Special Pronouncement: COVID-19 and the Dental Practice
Dayane Oliveira¹
Mateus Rocha¹
Lucas Fernando Tabata²
On 03/12/2020, the Federal Council of Dentistry (CFO) made a statement with recommendations and care in the activities performed by dental professionals due to the declaration of the World Health Organization (WHO) that classified VOCID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus, a pandemic.
Among the recommendations and care, it was disclosed that “the incubation period of OVID-19, i.e., the time between the day of contagion and the onset of the first symptoms, has been between 5 and 14 days”. It considered it appropriate that this period be respected in the event of confirmation of contagion. However, some cases with an incubation period of 27 days have already been reported after the date of this declaration. Therefore, several experts declare that all care should be maintained, regardless of time, in order to avoid contamination and expansion of the virus.
Among the care requested to dental professionals by the CFO was the effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the screening prior to in-office care to check for possible symptoms of VOCID-19. See below the care and recommendations previously published especially for the Dental class:
Forms of prevention against the coronavirus that should be taken by the dentist when in dental care:
Wear a mask with N95 valve, or in cases of use of common mask, perform the change every 2 hours;
Reinforce the use of PPE, including the coat, mask, cap, gloves and goggles. And remembering to wash your coat separately from your everyday clothes;
Wash your hands carefully before and after appointments;
After consultation, disinfect all surfaces immediately with appropriate cleaning product capable of eliminating COVID-19;
Doubled care in the previous disinfection of moulds and models before handling them;
Follow strictly all disinfection and sterilization protocols;
Practice social distancing with patients and assistants;
Try to keep all the surfaces of the office permanently clean and disinfected with appropriate products, due to the fact that the virus can be carried by aerosols and survive on these surfaces for up to 9 days.
In 2020, the “Stay Inside” column intends to maintain the “Special – Interviews” format and answer questions and doubts from our readers. You too can participate in this format! Send your questions to [email protected].
Stay Informed” Team
¹ College of Dentistry – University of Florida – Gainesville/FL – United States.
² College of Health Sciences – University of Brasília.
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