COVID-19 Pandemic in ASEAN Region and Implication in Dentistry

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally and has influenced every aspect of life worldwide. In the ASEAN region, at present, many nations are still locked the academic organizations, shopping malls, events, and activities, and banks and airports are shut down to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 has affected dental practice, and, in many countries, dentists are affected by COVID-19, leading to deaths. The dental treatments should be done with high standards of care and infection control by following proper recommendations. Personal protective equipment, patient screening, hand hygiene practices, mouth rinsing, disposable instruments, and use of rubber dam, reducing ultrasonic instruments use, treating suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients in separate rooms, and disinfection of the inanimate surfaces helps in protecting clinicians and patients.

Infection Control and Prevention Strategies in Dental Practices during the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…It has been proven that some dentists are infected with the COVID-19 virus. Infection prevention and control during practice should be evaluated, given appropriate protective and control measures (Suttagul and Sirichitra, 2020). To address the new 'normal' stating that dentistry must 'adapt and adopt' to provide care to patients, especially in middle and lower income countries so dental healthcare workers should take appropriate precautions to avoid crossinfection.…”

“…To prevent the spread of infection the patient should be instructed to wear a mask and cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. The patient's discrining assistant should be highly dedicated to screening and triage the patient (Suttagul and Sirichitra, 2020).…”

“…PDental health service personnel must follow guidelines from who or CDC, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand hygiene (Suttagul and Sirichitra, 2020). Doing hand washing before wearing the mask and donning procedure .…”

“…It has been proven that some dentists are infected by COVID in Indonesia and Thailand. In Indonesia, 24 medical professionals, including six dentists, have died from COVID-19 (Suttagul and Sirichitra, 2020).…”

The Prevalence and Predicting Factors of Temporomandibular Disorders in COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Lebanon has dealt with a high incidence rate of COVID-19 and a fatality rate of 19% for hospitalized infected patients, and by July 2021, there have been 552,328 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 7,888 deaths in Lebanon reported to the WHO, which further added to the burden of the unprecedented economic crisis that has hit the country badly [2]. The rapid transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged to mount serious challenges to the medical community leading to major impacts on the respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems [3,4]. This outbreak has impacted the dental field as well, not only with the increased risk of exposure to the virus but also with orofacial pain including bruxism and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) as increased symptoms related to the impact of lockdowns on mental health [5,6].…”