SPECIAL ARTICLE   Free access

Minerva Stomatologica 2020 October;69(5):324-7

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4970.20.04372-1

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

COVID-19: how to decrease the risk of infection in dental practice?

Pedro H. da HORA SALE S ¹ ✉, Priscila LOPES de GUSMÃO SALES ², Maria L. da HORA SALES ³

¹ Mario Jucá University Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Maceió, Brazil; ² Alagoas State University of Health Sciences, Maceió, Brazil; ³ Health Science Alagoas State University, Maceió, Brazil

A new pandemic classified by the World Health Organization and called COVID-19, is causing widespread respiratory infections and deaths in several countries on the five continents. Although it does not have a high lethality rate, this new virus can present rates of complications and hospitalizations in the intensive care unit in up to 20% of patients, especially the elderly and those with compromised health, which can cause a collapse in the health system national public health. Dentistry is one of the most vulnerable professions due to work in the oral cavity, one of the areas with the highest concentration of the virus, therefore having an important role in controlling the disease. The objective of this work is through a review of the current literature, to establish conducts that can reduce the contamination by COVID-19 between the population and the dental team during the service in the public and private health system.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Dentistry; Public health; Pandemics