Covid-19 or Sars-coV-2 and the Dental Industry
The latest pandemic created by the new Sars-coV-2 virus also known as Covid-19 has shut down not only a wide range of businesses but also an important branch of the medical sector which is Dentistry.
There is a lot of contradiction among the scientific world about the various ways of viral transmission but what we should all know for sure is that being a respiratory virus affecting our lungs it is definitely transmitted through air. So anything that comes close to your mouth or nose can be viral and should be avoided. Eye and skin contact may also be involved but definitely are not as important as air transmission.
Among of all medical specialties, dentistry has been severely affected as worldwide governments had decided to shut down dental practices due to a close interaction between patient and doctor but also aerosols created dental procedures. So willing to reduce the infections with Sars-coV-2 the world leaders decided that a complete shut down is the right thing to do.
As any other drastic and severe measure, repercussions were on their way and patients with severe pain had to wait days for someone to see them or in some cases just get a painkiller or antibiotic to slightly ease the pain. When treatment is an emergency and there is no treatment available this means that a country is not capable of offering support.
It is similar to a car crash when ambulance is not able to come and help people involved as the government decided to not allow ambulances to run anymore.
What I mean by this is that if we are here to fight against Sars-coV-2, we should do it together not separate, and there are many ways to protect ourselves and the patients as well so we should not be left behind.
The virus will be a news headline for months or even years to come but this doesn't mean that people should take painkillers or antibiotics for a pulpitis, loose tooth, abscess or any other tooth related pain. Sars-coV-2 is a crisis affecting the majority of businesses but as long as we consider ourselves doctors, our main mission is to help the patients. What's the Dental Solution for Sars-coV-2 ?
1 ) Definitely dental practices need to start running both Private and NHS. This would mean saving lives by reducing the amount of patients looking for help through NHS hospitals. Less dental patients in a hospital means More healthy patients for the NHS as the risk of contamination is high and not only for Sars-coV-2.
2 ) Triage is necessary and wearing protective gear is a must but if both Private and NHS practices could treat an average number of 8 - 10 patients a day this would mean a huge relief for hospitals and would also help the dental business industry recover slowly.
3) People should be aware that Sars-coV -2 exposure is everywhere : in the bus , underground, shopping store or uber but we have to take all the measures necessary to reduce or block this exposure, so preventing is the key.
4) Government could also help the Dental Clinics struggling with finance by offering a certain amount of PPE per week
5) Creating less panic and more thinking would actually help economy to recover and things get back in place but for this we would need a more accurate media in case reports and more truth in
Sars-coV-2 diagnosis.
