The new normal dentistry in the COVID-19 pandemic world

Abstract

In December 2019, a new coronavirus disease mostly with the symptoms of pneumonia cropped out in Wuhan, China. The COVID-19 outbreak has spread out worldwide and it has created huge uncertainty. COVID-19 was announced by the World Health Organization as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, with infection cases occurring in 185 countries all over the world. There is no clear information about how long this pandemic will continue whether its different types will be seen, or whether it will reappear in the future. Dentists are in close contact with patients' blood, aerosol, droplet, and saliva during dental procedures. Therefore, dentists are at a high risk of being infected with COVID-19. During dental procedures, COVID-19 can be transmitted through inhalation of aerosols from an infected person or through contact with mucous membranes, oral fluids, contaminated instruments, and surfaces. The aim of this article is to collect all information about the COVID-19 outbreak that dentists should be aware of when they perform the dental practice.