The American Dental Association sent a letter March 24 to the CDC asking officials to release guidance on best practices for protecting dental staff and patients from COVID-19 transmission during emergency and urgent care treatment.
In the letter, the ADA stated it was “being inundated by requests for guidance on how to safely provide both emergency care and urgent care in dental settings, where there is a high risk of being exposed to COVID-19.”
Last week, the ADA and CDC recommended dentists only provide emergency and urgent care to patients.
“We urge you to publish immediate guidance on how to protect patients and dental workers during emergency and urgent care episodes during the COVID-19 outbreak,” the letter concludes. “Such guidance would also go a long way to help prevent unnecessary referrals to local hospital emergency departments during this time of crisis.”
To view the full letter, click here.