Coronavirus disease-2019: Infection control and prevention measures in dental radiology

A public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) was declared over Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which is the sixth time World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a PHEIC since the International Health Regulations took effect in 2005 (1).Hegde and Ajila (2), described the situation of Indian dentists during the pandemic, however, adding a note on infection control protocol is of highest importance.Dentists were unaware of which guidelines to follow.The dental clinics were advised to remain closed in the containment zone and to continue with teledentistry.A survey found that only 40% of radiology department professional staff have enough knowledge of infection control practice (3).The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that the dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) should be provided with education and training to prevent transmission of infectious agents, including refresher training.The main goal is safe care for the community through educating and training the DHCP to properly use the protective equipment before approaching a patient.In the absence of specific drugs, the protective measures in the dental radiology departments primarily target controlling the transmission routes such as droplets, contact surfaces, and aerosols (4).Healthcare workers, including medical and dental radiologists, have been the frontline in the COVID-19 pandemic, hence, reinforcement of infection control protocols becomes crucial.The oral radiologists and technicians must use the personnel protective equipment, including eye protection, a filtering facepiece respirator (N95), a surgical cap, gloves, a fluid-resistant gown, and shoe cover (5).Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has been identified in both blood and saliva samples of COVID-19 patients, which necessitates reviewing our current practice to prevent infections.Hand hygiene is the most critical measure to reduce the risk of transmitting microorganisms between individuals.SARS-CoV-2 can persist on surfaces from a few hours or to several days, depending on the type of surface, temperature, or humidity of the environment.Thus, the need for hand hygiene and thorough disinfection of all surfaces within the radiology department is of high priority (6).