The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for dental professionals who may have been exposed to COVID-19 during emergency care.
The agency advises dental staff to ask all patients if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and enact a policy to contact all patients who received emergency care 48 hours after their visit.
Four other tips:
- Dental staff should inform their facility’s occupational health program as soon as they can if they suspect community or travel-associated exposure.
- Dental staff should check their temperature twice daily and stay alert for COVID-19 symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle ache, malaise).
- Dental staff should abstain from work in any healthcare setting until 14 days after exposure.
- If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, dental staff should self-isolate and notify their local public health authorities and dental office quickly so they can get started on a medical evaluation and treatment plan.
Access the CDC's full guidance here.
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