protecting dhcp C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 2
COVID-19 and Oral Health Care: Implications for Dental Practices Jayanth Kumar, DDS, MPH
abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to dental health care personnel (DHCP). Because a large proportion of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic and many dental procedures generate aerosols, additional precautions are needed to protect DHCP and their patients. Dental practices must comply with several state and federal requirements, including the California Department of Public Health Officer orders and California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) standards. The California Dental Association has developed resources to assist dental professionals in complying with these requirements. In addition, the Medi-Cal Dental Program and local oral health programs have used various materials to educate the public about COVID-19 and oral health, including information for parents about visiting the dental office.
AUTHOR Jayanth Kumar, DDS, MPH, is the state dental director for the California Department of Public Health. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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he rapid emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into a pandemic has challenged dental health care personnel (DHCP) to achieve an unprecedented level of knowledge, skills and confidence for preventing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the dental setting. Although dental practitioners know the minimum standards of infection control and take infection control courses every two years in California, these standards address bloodborne pathogens and not a respiratory virus. Because a large proportion of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic and many dental procedures generate aerosols, additional precautions are needed to protect DHCP and their patients.1
Limited literacy is a potential barrier to effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral disease.2 The adverse effect of limited oral health literacy on the utilization of dental services was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, California published its 10-year state oral health plan.3 A key objective in the plan is to increase annual dental visit rates. It is aligned with one of the Healthy People 2030 leading indicators: To increase the proportion of children, adolescents and adults who use the oral health care system from 43% (the 2016 baseline) to 45% by 2030. To address this, the California Oral Health Plan 2018-2028 included a goal to develop and implement communication strategies to inform and educate the FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2
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