No Delay in Dental Care Despite COVID-19

Dr. TSE Dat Chu, Oscar

Specialist in Periodontology

It has been over a year since the COVID-19 outbreak, a wide range of infection control measures have been implemented in dental clinics worldwide to mininise the infection risk. According to a study in The Journal of the American Dental Association in October 2020, the infection rate was less than 1% in 2,200 dentists and dental hygienists in the US. The result suggests that heightened infection control at dental clinics is effective.

To avoid unnecessary delay in dental checkup and treatment, patients are advised to resume regular dental visits as long as good personal hygiene is practised. You may have to discuss with your dentist beforehand and make appropriate arrangement if necessary.

COVID-19 Virus in Aerosol

There is a consensus in medical circles that COVID-19 virus can be transmitted through droplets suspended in air, i.e. aerosols.

Aerosols can be generated from the use of ultrasonic scalers, high-speed dental handpieces, air/water syringes and certain other dental procedures such as air polishing or air abrasion. Small airborne particles and mist are released when a high-speed dental handpiece is in use or during tartar removal with ultrasonic scaler. A recent research suggested that COVID-19 virus could suspend in the air for hours or remain on surfaces for days, the exposure to which can increase the risk of COVID-19 infection.  

Safe Consultation with Full Protection against COVID-19

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection among patients and medical personnel, the following measures are carried out in our centres in Happy Valley and Admiralty:

• Appointments are made to limit the number of patients in the waiting area.
• Centre staff will inquire about the patient’s condition and confirm the appointment with him/her by phone 1 or 2 days before the scheduled date. Patients with fever, symptoms of respiratory diseases or close contact with infected persons are advised to cancel or postpone appointment and seek immediate medical attention.
• Patients are reminded to arrive at the centres 30 minutes before the scheduled time to undergo the following procedures:
  1. Check body temperature and symptoms before entering the centres.
  2. Provide travel history, contact and cluster information for screening purposes.
  3. Undergo COVID-19 rapid test: test result will be available within 20 minutes. Only those with a negative result are allowed to enter the treatment area.
• Ensure ample social distance, i.e. 1.5 meters, between patients in the treatment area.
• Patients must wear a face mask at all times at the centres except during treatment.

The following measures have also been in place with reference to the guidelines of the Centre for Health Protection:

1. Both centres are cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis.
2. All instruments and materials are properly stored.
3. All instruments and surfaces are thoroughly disinfected and autoclaved before and after use.
4. Patients are given an antiseptic oral rinse for use before checkup or treatment.
5. A plastic barrier is placed between the dentist/dental hygienist and patient during treatment to block off water spray.
6. The use of ultrasonic equipment and aerosol-generating procedures is mininised.
7. Hand scaling is preferred to reduce aerosols.
8. A rubber dam is used to isolate the tooth/teeth of interest during treatment.
9. High-volume suction is employed to limit water spray if high-speed dental handpieces, ultrasonic scalers and air/water syringes are to be used.
10. Each treatment room is left vacant for a period of time after use so as to allow the aerosols from earlier treatment to settle on the surfaces or to the ground. The room will then be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before use by the next patient.
11. Ensure good ventilation in treatment rooms to reduce risk of COVID-19 infection.

Let’s Fight COVID-19 Together

To ensure personal and patient safety, our dentists and personnel wear full personal protection equipment, i.e. surgical mask, face shield, head cap, gown, gloves and shoe cover. Hand hygiene is strictly practised at all times in the centres.

All centre staff members are also required to undergo COVID-19 rapid tests every 7 days, be alert of any symptoms and get quarantined whenever necessary.

On the other hand, to minimise the number of patients within our centres, patients are advised to attend consultation alone or with as few companions as possible. Your cooperation is also appreciated during the screening and COVID-19 rapid tests. To enhance hand hygiene, hand sanitisers are placed all over the centres for use by patients and their companions.

Patients are reminded to wear a face mask and maintain ample social distance with others at all times in the waiting area. Do not forget to put your face mask right back on after dental treatment.