TY - JOUR
AU - Granger, Clare
AU - Twigg, Joshua
AU - Whiston, Sandra
AU - Grant, Siobhan
AU - Serban, Stefan T.
PY - 2024
DA - April
TI - Covid-19 case management in primary dental care settings in Yorkshire and the Humber
JO - British Dental Journal
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7298-7
AB - Introduction: Emerging guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic aimed to minimise transmission risk within dental settings. This service evaluation provides an overview of reported cases of COVID-19 among primary dental care staff within Yorkshire and the Humber. Methods: Data for COVID-19 cases reported within dental practices between November 2020 and August 2021 were extracted from the Public Health England, Health Protection Zone database and summarised using descriptive statistics. Results: In total, 421 cases across 223 dental practices were reported, with 221 close contacts and 77 outbreaks identified. Cases/contacts were highest among dental nurses (51/49%). Household and community (42/22%) were the most frequently reported sources of transmission, with the majority of staff-to-staff contacts (60%) occurring in communal/non-clinical areas. Discussion: There was a low number of reported COVID-19 cases/contacts among dental professionals, with most cases suspected to have acquired the infection from outside of the dental setting. The majority of personal protective equipment breaches occurred within communal/non-clinical areas. When infection prevention and control guidance was followed, there were no incidences of staff or patients becoming contacts or cases. Conclusion: With adherence to strict protocols, the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the dental setting was low within the context of this review. The evaluation highlighted the importance of collaborative working during the pandemic.
PB - Springer Nature
UR - https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/324499/
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Primary care
ER