Delay routine dental check-ups, WHO requests, until COVID risk is known

GENEVA (Reuters) – Dental patients and staff need to be protected from any possible infection through aerosol-generating procedures, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, when dentists return to work in areas losing the COVID-19 pandemic .

There is currently no data on the spread of coronavirus from the dentist’s chair, it said, and calls for more research into common procedures that produce small propellant particles that can cause infection when they become inhaled.

These include three-way air / water spray, ultrasonic cleaning equipment that removes deposits from the tooth surface, and polishing, the WHO said in new guidance.

“WHO guidelines advise in case of community transfer to give priority to urgent or necessary oral cases, to prevent or minimize procedures that can generate aerosol, prioritize a set of clinical interventions that are performed with an instrument and of course to routinely delay non-essential oral health care, ”said Benoit Varenne, a WHO dentist, in a newsletter.

He added: “The chance that COVID-19 will be transmitted via aerosol, microparticles or air particles … today I think that is unknown, it is at least open to question. This means more research is needed.”

The WHO last month published general guidelines on the transmission of the coronavirus that recognized some reports of airborne but stopped short of confirming that the virus was spreading through the air.

Dental facilities must have adequate ventilation to reduce the risk of spreading viruses in closed institutions, it said on Tuesday.

“We think the most pressing issue is related to the availability of essential personal protective equipment, PPE, for all healthcare professionals who do business or assist with clinical procedures,” Varenne said.

(Corrects story to fix header)