(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
DENTAL clinics are proving to be valuable settings to screen for COVID-19 infections.
A new study conducted in Scotland showed that asymptomatic carriers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are potentially significant sources of transmission yet remains relatively poorly understood.
The study, “SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Asymptomatic-screened Dental Patients”, is published in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR).
The study was designed to guide community surveillance and improve the understanding of the risks potentially present in the dental setting.
The study showed the importance of appropriate ongoing infection prevention control and personal protective equipment vigilance.
“Enhanced community surveillance is a key pillar of the public health response to COVID-19,” said JDR Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jakubovics of Newcastle University, England.
“The results of this study demonstrate the value in, and feasibility of, developing and implementing SARS-CoV-2 surveillance testing within dental settings.” SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.
The study included screened patients over the age of five who were asymptomatic or without symptoms.
During the patient visit, trained dental teams took a combined oropharyngeal and nasal swab sample using standardized test kits.
Over a 13-week period, 4,032 patients from 31 dental care centers were tested for COVID-19, of which 22 were found positive. The positivity rate increased over time in synch with spikes in community prevalence.
The surveillance program had several advantages. For example, trained dental teams gathered high quality and complete data and samples.
There was no need for the clinical teams to use additional personal protective equipment as they were already wearing the PPEs as standard operating procedure in the dental setting.
The JDR is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease.
The scientific journal is published by the International Association for Dental Research, a nonprofit organization with over 10,000 individual members worldwide. One of its largest member organizations is the American Association for Dental Research with 3,100 members in the United States.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists and Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./PN
