October 22, 2020
Download our NHS Infection Prevention and Control appendix for Dentists Key messages guide
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Alternatively, read the update here:
On 21st October 2020, a new document was released to help dental practices during the pandemic – the COVID-19: Infection Prevention and Control Dental Appendix.
The document provides the following key messages for dental services:
- Patients will fall into either low, medium, or high-risk COVID-19 pathways
- Patients must be screened, triaged (and when available, tested) prior to treatment
- Treatment for Patients who are on the high-risk pathway should be restricted to urgent care only, and these Patients will need to be separated by space or time from other Patients
- Airborne precautions are required for all Patients on the medium and high-risk pathways if an AGP is undertaken
- Standard infection control precautions are required for Patients in the low-risk pathway, even if an AGP is undertaken
- Dental Practices are recommended to ascertain the air changes per hour (ACH) within all dental surgeries
- Post AGP downtime (fallow time) is dependent on air changes per hour and procedural mitigating factors, but does not fall below 10 minutes for Patients in medium or high-risk pathways. Mitigation against aerosols (such as high-volume suction and dental dams) should be used routinely and mitigation is considered essential where air changes are low
- AGPs should not be carried out in rooms where there is no natural or mechanical ventilation
- Practices should ensure physical distancing and that good hand and respiratory hygiene measures are always followed throughout the Practice
You can read the full document here.