COVID-19 Infection Rate among Dental Health Care Worker

Background: First infections of COVID-19 pandemic occurred in December 2019 in China and then spread rapidly all over the world. In February 2020, the first Corona case was diagnosed in Israel, since then, three national lockdowns have been imposed. Israeli Ministry of health published guidelines for dental treatment during times of social distancing which include: 1) Questioning patients prior to admittance. 2) Increasing intervals between appointments. 3) Restricting number of people permitted in the waiting room to prevent crowds. 4) Wearing masks at all times. 5) Wearing long sleeve waterproof surgical gowns, goggles / face shield. Methods: Data from 54 dental clinics (MaccabiDent health maintenance organization) were collected between March and October 2020 regarding: 1) Number of treatments performed. 2) Number of health care providers participating in the procedures. 3) Number of patients with positive COVID-19 results. 4) Number of healthcare workers positive for COVID-19. 5) Number of paramedical and administrative staff positive for COVID-19. 6) Number of patients treated by dentists who later turned out to be infected by the virus. Results: 1,079 dentists and 354 dental hygienists worked during the study period, and performed 1.29 million procedures of these, seventy eight dentists treated 99 verified COVID-19 patients. 17 dentists (1.58%) tested positive for the virus. Conclusion: By following guidelines, the risk of transmission of coronavirus is minimal in the dental setting. Practical Implications: This article reinforces the evidence regarding the importance of education and following guidelines regarding infection control for dental professionals employed in public clinics