Impact of COVID-19 on Oral and Dental Health Delivery and Recommendations for Continuation of Oral and Dental Health Services

Abstract

COVID-19, which has caused a great panic by leaving millions of deaths in its wake worldwide, has affected the provision of oral and dental health services as in many fields. Especially dentists, who offer oral and dental health services by working in the oral region of the patients, are under a high risk of encountering the agent. This high risk has justifiably created a concern for them. Therefore, it has been quite challenging to provide oral and dental health services. In order to alleviate these concerns and to sustain oral and dental health services, many health organizations and institutions, especially the World Health Organization, have published recommendations and principles of practice, and announced financial support. In this section, we will examine the recommendations and practices regarding infection prevention and control measures by getting away from standard routine health service practices in order to be protected from COVID-19 epidemic and what areas they cover on a wide scale. By discussing the effects of these recommendations and practices on the provision of dental health services, we will try to determine the practices that will relieve concerns and are aimed at ensuring the provision of safe health services in terms of both patients’ health and health professionals’ health.