Sahel Ramazani¹ and Arian Hesam Arefi²*

¹Postgraduate Student, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
²Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

*Corresponding Author: Arian Hesam Arefi, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Received: October 07, 2022; Published: November 11, 2022

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 was identified as a significant threat to health worldwide. The common routes for the dissemination of the virus include direct transmission (sneezing, coughing, and inhaling contaminated droplets and aerosols) and contact transmission (the oral and nasal cavity mucosa and conjunctiva). During dental procedures, large amounts of aerosols are produced; therefore, dentists, the staff, and patients are exposed to the virus. Proper knowledge about the infection control guidelines and evaluation of dentists’ mistakes in observing them are prerequisites to improve performance regarding preventing COVID-19, especially in areas with a high prevalence of this disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the observation of infection control protocols in dental offices during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the CDC guidelines in Zahedan, Iran, in 2020-2021.

Methods: The present descriptive study was carried out with the collaboration of general dental practitioners and specialists in 11 clinics and 133 private dental offices in the public and private sectors in Zahedan, who were active during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. The simple sampling method was used, and the data were collected using a checklist prepared based on the guidelines of the CDC.

Results: The dentists’ personal protection score was 63%, with 73% for the patients and clients. The mean scores for the personnel’s educational requirements, patients’ and clients’ educational requirements, screening, and personal protection equipment in the dental centers were 76%, 60.5%, 71.8%, and 81%, respectively.

Conclusion: The observation of the infection prevention protocols in the dental offices and clinics in Zahedan by dentists, staff, and patients was moderate, necessitating further and more appropriate programs to improve it based on the CDC guidelines. In addition, continuous education programs are necessary for dentists, with further information for the general population through the mass media and virtual social networks. In addition, periodic studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of these programs so that modifications in the policies can be implemented if necessary.

Keywords: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines; COVID-19; Dental Office; Infection Control; Pandemic

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Citation

Citation: Sahel Ramazani and Arian Hesam Arefi. “Evaluation of the Observation of Infection Control Protocols in Dental Offices During the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines in Zahedan in 2020-2021".Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 4.12 (2022): 11-19.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Sahel Ramazani and Arian Hesam Arefi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.