Revamping pediatric dental practice: the covid-19 influence

ABSTRACT

The massive outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to a pandemic situation, posing a serious challenge to the healthcare professionals across the globe, including the oral healthcare personnel. With the transmission of the disease occurring mainly via droplet spread and contact routes, the dental procedures performed, carry a high potential to trigger a cross infection as they operate in and around the oral cavity of the patient. The children seeking dental care, further aggravate the situation as they present with minimal symptoms of COVID-19 and may go unnoticed. All of this has forced the dental personnel around the globe to call for a change in the treatment approach, by modifying the existing treatment guidelines and protocols, to reduce the risk of transmission and help fight the pandemic. This review article tries to shed light on the COVID-19 disease, the clinical characteristics of the disease in children, its modes of transmission and proposes a modified approach to pediatric dental practice in the post pandemic time, that would provide optimal treatment care, abiding by the revised infection control norms and guidelines.