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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2020; 14(S 01): S159-S164
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1718240
Review Article

A Review on COVID-19 Mediated Impacts and Risk Mitigation Strategies for Dental Health Professionals

Shikha Sharma
1   Consultant Periodontist, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Abhishek Parolia
2   Division of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
,
Shalini Kanagasingam
3   Department of Endodontology, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
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Abstract

In the light of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), dentistry is facing unprecedented challenges. The closure of clinics has impacted dental health professionals (DHPs) not only financially but also psychologically. In this review, these consequences are discussed in detail to highlight the challenges that DHPs are facing thus far, in both developing and developed nations. Compromised mental health among DHPs is an important area that requires attention during this difficult period. Although, in previous pandemics, dentists have not worked on the frontline, the article discusses how their wide range of skillsets can be leveraged if another wave of COVID-19 pandemic appears. Finally, guidelines to reopen clinics and patient management have been discussed in detail that could serve as a quick reference guide for DHPs.

Keywords

education - dentistry - pandemics - standards


Publication History

Article published online:
09 November 2020

© 2020. European Journal of Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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