SARS-COV-2 Transmission in México´s Dental Practice: Measures, Clinical Implications and Management

Abstract

The SARS-COV2 outbreak began as a zoonotic transmission, with Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) and pangolins being the most likely origin of the infection. Once the patient has been infected, the virus is significantly present in the nasopharyngeal and salivary secretions. The professionals who are most directly exposed to the risk of contagion are dentists since the evolutionary process of virus infection occurs due to the inhalation of particles in the dental environment, the formation of aerosols during practice, and what is more important, in the expectorations emitted by the patients. Therefore, it is necessary to act diligently in professional practice, as well as take the necessary preventive measures to avoid the spread of the infection. The appearance of this new disease forces us to modify all the sanitary measures that have been taken concerning dental care by the professional, as well as auxiliary personnel and the protection of patients, requiring strict sanitary control by the authorities of health. In the university environment, the changes that must be made to allow an open channel of communication between students, teaching, administrative and hygiene personnel must continue to prevent this and future diseases. The aim of this article is to propose a protocol for dental clinical care, considering the real conditions and needs that prevail in our practice, highlighting the risk and preventive measures that the dental professional must consider, as well as the management of patients.