Study Shows Dentists From The United States Are Less Affected By The COVID19 Pandemic

A team of experts has claimed that only 1 percent of dentists from the United States have been affected by the COVID19 pandemic. The findings of the study have supported some health professionals’ stand to continue with the dental care routine. However, some of the experts completely oppose the stand. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised halting all the non-essential dental care until a significant reduction in the spread of the virus is observed. The study has analyzed a survey done on 2195 dentists in the US. The findings have revealed that nearly 82 percent of dentists in the US have not been showing any symptoms of COVID19 for one month before the survey. Experts have said that 16.6 percent of dentists have undergone a test for COVID19 and only 6.4 percent of them have tested positive in a range of samples. Among dentists who have not gone through a test, only 0.3 percent of them have received a possible COVID19 diagnosis.

This study has been published in the journal of the American Dental Association. Experts have matched this data with nationwide infection among dentists. They have found that only 0.9 percent of dentists have either confirmed or probable COVID19 diagnosis. The concern over the spread of the virus during dental care has stemmed due to the aerosol-generating procedure. Experts have thought that air-water syringes and ultrasonic scalers can lead to COVID19 infection. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well has backed the same stand to a certain extend. However, the CDC officials have said that there is no data available to determine the risk of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission during dental care.

The survey has shown that 99.7 percent of dental care practices use improved infection control procedures. As per the findings of the study, 73 percent of dentists follow the guidelines of the CDC on personal protective equipment. The agency has released the guidelines for dentists this year saying hand hygiene, hand gloves, eye protection, and facemasks are mandatory during any dental care procedure. The officials have said that during surgical procedures, dentists need to wear an N95 mask for better protection.