The ADA welcomes the release of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recently updated Guidance for Dental Settings, noting it is very similar to science-based guidance issued a month ago by the ADA. Both guidelines describe how dental professionals, building upon existing infection control measures, can help protect patients and the dental team when re-engaging in providing the full range of oral healthcare.
“Oral health is an important part of overall health,” said ADA president Chad Gehani, DDS. “Resuming regular dental visits are important because treatment, as well as prevention of dental disease, helps keep people healthy. The guidances from the ADA and the CDC give dental professionals the information they need to practice as safely as possible.”
The CDC guidance provides detailed patient management and facility consideration information for before, during, and after dental appointments, which is in close alignment with the ADA’s Return to Work Interim Guidance Toolkit. The CDC and ADA recommendations include:
- Request that dental staff call patients prior to the scheduled appointment to ask questions about their current health status
- Advise patients to wear a face covering when entering the dental practice
- Limit the number of people who accompany a patient to the appointment; if possible, the patient should make the visit alone
- Assess all patients upon arrival; temperature checks may be completed
- Remove items in office waiting rooms such as toys or reading material to limit potential transmission through high-touch surfaces
- Encourage social distancing practices by minimizing the number of patients in the waiting room by spacing appointments thoughtfully and perhaps by asking patients to wait in their car until the dental staff is ready to treat the patient
- Advise dental staff members to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) as appropriate such as surgical masks or N95 masks, full face shields or goggles with side shields to ensure an environment that is as safe and healthy as possible for patients and the dental team
- Place hand sanitizer generously around the office for use and ensure surfaces are cleaned regularly
The CDC’s updated dental settings guidance offers additional recommendations such as how patients can be positioned in the dental chair during appointments and waiting 15 minutes before disinfecting treatment rooms after use. The ADA’s guidance also includes ways dentists and hygienists can reduce aerosols such as:
- Hand scaling when cleaning teeth rather than using ultrasonic scaling
- Use of high-velocity suction whenever possible
- Use of rubber dental dams whenever possible
The ADA notes that its guidelines and the CDC’s guidelines both are science-based recommendations and not regulations. States control what procedures are allowed largely through their licensing boards. For example, Ohio’s state dental board refers dentists to the CDC and ADA for PPE and infection control recommendations but not for what procedures can be provided in the state’s dental practices
According to the CDC’s guidance, “Dental health care professionals should regularly consult their state dental boards and state or local health departments for current local information for requirements specific to their jurisdictions.”
“I am pleased to see dental practices reopening to provide patients with the dental care they need,” said Gehani. “The longer patients go without preventive care and treatment for early forms of dental disease, the more likely their untreated disease will progress. The safety of patients, dentists, and dental team members has been and always will be ADA’s utmost concern.”
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