GMS Hygiene and Infection Control最新文献

{"title":"An innovative method to prevent infection when measuring the arterial blood gas SpO2 saturation.","authors":"Seda Şahan, Sevil Güler, Eliz Geçtan, Hakan Aygün","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000473","DOIUrl":"10.3205/dgkh000473","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Patients are hospitalized for extended periods, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs). As a result, the saturation probe (pulse oximeter) remains attached for an extended period and microorganisms can grow in the wet environment. If the pulse oximeters are not reprocessed, cross-infection may occur. The literature contains several studies in which gloves were used for the measurement while various SpO₂ (peripheral arterial oxygen saturation) measurements were compared with each other. However, such comparisons have yet to be made with the results of arterial blood gas SpO₂ measurements by pulse oximeter, considered as the gold standard. The present study aimed to compare arterial blood gas values with the fingertip saturation measurement performed by having adult patients wear gloves of different colors, one after the other, on their fingers and determining the effect of the differently colored gloves (transparent, white, black, light blue) on saturation values.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was conducted on 54 patients in an ICU. Intra-arterial blood gas SpO₂ results were measured. Oxygen saturation was measured while the patient 1. did not wear gloves and 2. sequentially wore a series of gloves of different colors. Paired t-test, correlation analysis, and Bland Altman charts were used to evaluate the results.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean SpO₂% value of the participants' intra-arterial blood gas measurements was 97.76±2.04. The mean SpO₂% value obtained from the measurements of the fingers with a transparent glove was 0.43 points lower than the mean SpO₂% value of the intra-arterial blood gas measurements (t=0.986, p=0.61). The mean SpO₂% value obtained from the measurements of the fingers with a white glove was 0.93 points lower than the mean SpO₂% value of the intra-arterial blood gas measurements (t=1.157, p=0.093).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Of the measurements performed with a glove, the mean SpO₂% value obtained from the measurements of the fingers with a transparent glove was more consistent with the mean SpO₂% value of the intra-arterial blood gas measurements than measurement of the fingers without a glove.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc18"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11099354/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141065157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hygienic evaluation of the Resourcify GmbH concept for recovering raw materials from recyclable medical devices after surgery.","authors":"Axel Kramer, Florian H H Brill","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000471","DOIUrl":"10.3205/dgkh000471","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In addition to emissions harmful to the environment, a significant amount of waste is generated in hospitals. In recognition of the fact that medical devices (MDs) contain valuable raw materials, such as rare earth elements, other metals, and high-quality plastics, a recycling concept has been developed. The project was examined for safety and feasibility from a hygiene point of view with sustainability in mind in order to create a reference solution for other areas as applicable. The recycling process begins when the MDs accumulate in the surgical facility and are separated into recyclable and disposable parts. The recyclable parts are subjected to wipe disinfection and collected in closed boxes until they are taken away, while the non-recyclable parts are sent for disposal. The recyclable waste, including the transport boxes, is steam-disinfected in a fractionated vacuum process before recycling. The waste is then recycled, and the emptied transport boxes are made available for re-collection by the surgical facility. The analysis of the overall recycling process shows that infectious risks both for the employees who collect, transport, and recycle the MDs and for the environment are neglectable.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc16"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11099353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141065249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From wild-type to Omicron: changes in SARS-CoV-2 hospital cluster dynamics. Observations from a German tertiary care hospital.","authors":"Britta Kohlmorgen, Annika Brodzinski, Sandra Jendrossek, Thorsten Jeske, Anne-Kathrin Putsch, Maja Weisker, Sandra Schneider, Frank Schwab, Petra Gastmeier, Sonja Hansen","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000474","DOIUrl":"10.3205/dgkh000474","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>SARS-CoV-2 hospital clusters are a challenge for healthcare systems. There is an increased risk of infection for both healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients; cluster countermeasures are also a drain on resources for the wards affected. We analysed to which extent characteristics and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 clusters varied throughout the pandemic at a German university hospital.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patient and/or HCW clusters from 10/2020 to 04/2022 were included in the study and grouped by virus variant into i.) clusters comprised of the presumably predominant wild-type, Alpha or Delta (WAD) SARS-COV-2 variants, and ii.) clusters comprised predominantly of Omicron subtype cases. The two groups were compared for specific characteristics and dynamics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-two SARS-CoV-2 clusters and 528 cases were analysed. Twenty-one clusters and 297 cases were attributed to the WAD and 21 clusters and 231 cases to the Omicron group. There were no significant differences in median size (8 vs. 8 cases, p=0.94) or median duration (14 vs. 12 days; p=0.48), nor in the percentage of HCWs involved (46.8% vs. 50.2%; p=0.48). Patients in the WAD group were older (median 75 vs. 68 years of age; p≤0.05). The median time from cluster onset to case onset was significantly shorter for the Omicron group (median 6 vs. 11 days; p≤0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Omicron clusters exhibited a more rapid dynamic, forcing all parties involved to adapt to the increased workload. Compared to excessive community case counts, constant Omicron cluster-affiliated case counts and stable cluster characteristics suggest an improved compliance with IPC countermeasures.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc19"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11099352/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141065161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and robotics impact on attaining competitive advantage for sustainable development in hospitals with conclusions for future research approaches.","authors":"Narasingappa Pavithra, Noor Afza","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000470","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have emerged as game-changing technologies with the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. In the context of hospitals, their integration holds the promise of not only improving patient care but also driving competitive advantage and fostering sustainable development. This review paper aims to explore and evaluate the impact of AI and robotics applications on attaining competitive advantage and promoting sustainable development in hospitals, examines the current landscape of AI and robotics adoption in healthcare settings and delve into their specific applications within hospitals, including AI-assisted diagnosis, robotic surgery, patient monitoring, and data analytics. A key finding is the insufficient use of KI to date in terms of promoting sustainable development in hospitals. Furthermore, attempts to analyze the potential benefits and challenges associated with these technologies in terms of enhancing patient outcomes, operational efficiency, cost savings, and differentiation from competitors. Drawing upon a comprehensive review of the existing literature and case studies, this paper provides valuable insights into the transformative potential of AI and robotics in hospitals.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc15"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035984/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140859214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of dental caries in a pediatric population during the COVID-19 omicron pandemic era in South India.","authors":"Manikandan Gunasekaran, Karthik Shunmugavelu, Kavitha Ponnusamy, Aditya Shinde, Selvam Azhagarsamy, Shobana Murali","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000466","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000466","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caries is a multifactorial disease that involves a majority of the pediatric population. If not diagnosed and treated, it can lead to severe consequences affecting the permanent dentition. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral foci of infection in a multispeciality hospital during the pandemic in Chennai, South India. The majority of the patients examined had caries.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc11"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140858286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the gender gap in research: a bibliometric analysis of the 100 most-cited articles on food-borne pathogen outbreaks from 1990 to 2020.","authors":"Bisal Naseer, Rawal Alias Insaf Ahmed, Mohsan Ali, Muhammad Talha, Saad Azizullah, Amar Anwar","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000467","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000467","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Despite a recent increase in the representation of female authors in scientific literature, a significant gap persists concerning the inclusion of women in research. This necessitates the analysis of published literature from a gender perspective. This study aimed to provide gender distribution in authorship in the 100 most-cited articles on food-borne pathogen outbreaks from 1990 to 2020.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database. Two reviewers were selected to search the database. We included the 100 most-cited articles on foodborne outbreak investigations. The analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and Microsoft Excel version 2016. The citation data, including total citations, citations per year, and representation of women as first and senior authors, was analyzed in terms of frequencies, mean, median, and interquartile range. The correlation between journal impact factor and the representation of women in high-impact factor journals was determined. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most of the top-cited articles were published between 2001 and 2010 (n=47). The top 3 most-cited articles were from the USA. Of the total 100 articles, women were the first and last authors in 46% and 28% of the articles, respectively, reflecting a significant gender gap. However, the proportion of females as principal investigators gradually increased from 25% (n=10/30) to 52% (n=24/47) during the period 2001-2010 and to 92% (n=12/13) during 2011-2020. The USA had the highest number of included articles (n=48), and women were principal authors in 56% (n=27) of them. The lowest representation of women was observed in Austria, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Women are under-represented in published literature on food-borne pathogen outbreaks. Although the representation of women as principal authors has recently increased, disparities still exist at the senior-author level, calling for women's advancement in academic science.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc12"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140860554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surgical smoke: a matter of hygiene, toxicology, and occupational health.","authors":"Nurettin Kahramansoy","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000469","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of devices for tissue dissection and hemostasis during surgery is almost unavoidable. Electrically powered devices such as electrocautery, ultrasonic and laser units produce surgical smoke containing more than a thousand different products of combustion. These include large amounts of carcinogenic, mutagenic and potentially teratogenic noxae. The smoke contains particles that range widely in size, even as small as 0.007 µm. Most of the particles (90%) in electrocautery smoke are ≤6.27 µm in size, but surgical masks cannot filter particles smaller than 5 µm. In this situation, 95% of the smoke particles which pass through the mask reach deep into the respiratory tract and frequently cause various symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, eye and respiratory tract irritation, weakness, and abdominal pain in the acute period. The smoke can transport bacteria and viruses that are mostly between 0.02 µm and 3 µm in size and there is a risk of contamination. Among these viruses, SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, HIV, HPV, HBV must be considered. The smoke may also carry malignant cells. The long-term effects of the surgical smoke are always ignored, because causality can hardly be clarified in individual cases. The quantity of the smoke changes with the technique of the surgeon, the room ventilation system, the characteristics of the power device used, the energy level at which it is set, and the characteristics of the tissue processed. The surgical team is highly exposed to the smoke, with the surgeon experiencing the highest exposure. However, the severity of exposure differs according to certain factors, e.g., ventilation by laminar or turbulent mixed airflow or smoke evacuation system. In any case, the surgical smoke must be removed from the operation area. The most effective method is to collect the smoke from the source through an aspiration system and to evacuate it outside. Awareness and legal regulations in terms of hygiene, toxicology, as well as occupational health and safety should increase.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc14"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035985/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140864970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bacterial co-infections and secondary infections and their antimicrobial resistance in Covid-19 patients during the second pandemic wave.","authors":"Ruchita Attal, Vijayshri Deotale","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000465","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000465","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>COVID-19 pneumonia with an unusual outbreak is considered a new, global public health threat. Microbiological characterization of co-infections in patients with COVID-19 is important, and antimicrobial use is high. We aimed to describe microbiologically confirmed co-infections and the antimicrobial resistance of the causative pathogens.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>From January to December 2020, we tested 1,301 patients who were COVID-19 positive. We received clinical samples (blood, respiratory and sterile body fluids) of COVID-19 patients who were suspected to have bacterial co-infections. Samples were processed and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed based on the CLSI recommendation. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and outcome data of those with positive cultures were collected.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>A total of 1301 COVID-19 patients (568 from the COVID ward and 733 from ICU) were admitted to the Covid care ward of a tertiary care hospital. 363 samples were sent for culturing and testing antibiotic susceptibility, of which 131 (36%) were found to be culture-positive (90 from ICUs, 41 from wards). Out of the 143 total isolates thus obtained from 131 samples, the majority (62.2%) were Gram-negative bacteria, and most of them were (70.8%) multidrug resistant.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Bacterial co-infection in patients with COVID-19 is more commonly reported in the severely ill hospitalized individuals (58%), particularly in the ICU (73.3%) setting. In terms of mortality, almost half of co-infected patients died (51.1%). In most of them, the cause of death was found to be sepsis with post-COVID ARDS (58%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Co-infection in COVID-19 patients may affect the outcome in terms of increasing the hospital stay.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc10"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035911/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140859213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hygiene requirements for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces: recommendation of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) at the Robert Koch Institute.","authors":"","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000468","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000468","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This recommendation of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) addresses not only hospitals, but also outpatient health care facilities and compiles current evidence. The following criteria are the basis for the indications for cleaning and disinfection: Infectious bioburden and tenacity of potential pathogens on surfaces and their transmission routes, influence of disinfecting surface cleaning on the rate of nosocomial infections, interruption of cross infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms, and outbreak control by disinfecting cleaning within bundles. The criteria for the selection of disinfectants are determined by the requirements for effectiveness, the efficacy spectrum, the compatibility for humans and the environment, as well as the risk potential for the development of tolerance and resistance. Detailed instructions on the organization and implementation of cleaning and disinfection measures, including structural and equipment requirements, serve as the basis for their implementation. Since the agents for surface disinfection and disinfecting surface cleaning have been classified as biocides in Europe since 2013, the regulatory consequences are explained. As possible addition to surface disinfection, probiotic cleaning, is pointed out. In an informative appendix (only in German), the pathogen characteristics for their acquisition of surfaces, such as tenacity, infectious dose and biofilm formation, and the toxicological and ecotoxicological characteristics of microbicidal agents as the basis for their selection are explained, and methods for the evaluation of the resulting quality of cleaning or disinfecting surface cleaning are presented.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc13"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035912/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140855438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dental healthcare workers - a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Kira Marie Schwarz, Albert Nienhaus, Roland Diel","doi":"10.3205/dgkh000464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000464","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mounting evidence supports an association between the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the risk of infection from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in dental healthcare workers (DCW). However, the prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the setting of dental care remains poorly characterized.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published prior to Mai 2023 providing epidemiological data for the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in DCW was performed. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled estimates and odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The associated factors were narratively evaluated. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool for prevalence studies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-nine eligible studies were identified including a total of 85,274 DCW at risk; 27 studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis. Among the included DCW, the overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 11.8% (13,155/85,274; 95%CI, 7.5%-17%), whereby the degree of heterogeneity between the studies was considerable (I²=99.7%). The pooled prevalence rate for dentists and dental hygienists alone was 12.7% (1943/20,860; 95%CI, 8.0%-18.0%), showing significantly increased odds of contracting a SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to dental assistant personnel, the prevalence rate for which was less than half, at 5.2% (613/15,066; OR=2.42; 95% CI, 2.2-2.7). In the subgroup of 17 studies from countries with high income there was a significantly lower prevalence rate of 7.3% (95% CI, 5%-10%) in DCW compared to the prevalence rate in low- and middle-income countries, which came to 20.8% (95% CI, 14%-29%; p<0.001). In 19 out of the 29 studies (65.5%), specific information on the use of and adherence to PPE was absent while in the reports with concrete figures the wearing of N95 (or at least surgical masks) by DCW appeared to be associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 prevalence rates.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>DCW were, depending in each case on their proximity to patients, at particular risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until a significant level of vaccination protection against newer SARS-CoV-2 variants can be built up in the population, dental healthcare facilities should further maintain their focus on using PPE according to current guidelines.</p>","PeriodicalId":12738,"journal":{"name":"GMS Hygiene and Infection Control","volume":"19 ","pages":"Doc09"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11035909/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140855392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}