How do dentists prevent the spread of infection in their practice?

It was just a month ago when we limited our practice to emergency and urgent dental treatments, along with the other dental clinics in Dubai.

Following the recommendation of the health authorities in combatting the spread of coronavirus, we have created extra measures, in addition to our existing safety and sterilization protocols, to limit our team’s and patients’ exposure and keep everyone in our practice protected.

Here are the things that we do to keep the safety of our patients and staff. We do these every day to avoid the spread of viral and bacterial infections, even before the coronavirus outbreak.

1. Routine sterilization – We follow strict protocols in sterilizing all dental instruments and handpieces after each use. They are sterilized using high-pressure steam autoclaves and are verified for accuracy using external biological indicators.
2. Surface decontamination – Using medical-grade disinfectants, we clean all surfaces including countertops, dental chairs, stools, control buttons, drawer handles, switches, knobs and many others before and after every patient.
3. Protective barriers – Our staff wear appropriate PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) such as masks, gloves, gowns, eyes and face shields to reduce the risk of cross-infection and minimize exposure to infection.
4. Disposable items - Single-use items such as masks, gloves, needles, etc. are never reused and are discarded after each patient.
5. Surface barriers – Before taking in any patient, we apply single-use impermeable surface barriers to previously cleaned clinical surfaces such as light handles and switches to prevent contamination.
6. Hand hygiene – Effective hand hygiene is critical in preventing the risk of transmitting infection. Our team performs hand hygiene with antimicrobial soap and water as well as antiseptic alcohol-based rub before and after treating our patients.
7. Routine maintenance – We conduct periodic and proper maintenance of all instruments and equipment as recommended by manufacturers.
8. Proper waste disposal – We follow a standard protocol in disposing waste materials such as sharp items (such as needles) and biomedical wastes (blood or saliva-soaked materials, swabs, etc.).
9. Pre-procedural mouthwash – We require our patients to rinse their mouths with antimicrobial mouthwash to reduce the level of microbes that patients may release in the form of aerosols or spatter.
10. Waterline check – To prevent contamination, we flush our waterlines after each patient appointment. We routinely inspect and test the water coming out of our units.
11. Ventilation & air cleaning systems – We have well-ventilated spaces and we use air purification in our AC systems designed to reduce aerosol concentrations and assist in purifying the air in and outside of our rooms and surgeries.
12. Rubber dams – We use a rubber dam when appropriate to minimize possible exposure and contamination by saliva and blood.
13. High velocity evacuation (HVE) systems – We use HVEs to reduce spreading of spatter, aerosols and droplets.
14. Routine area sanitation – We regularly clean and disinfect all other communal areas in our practice such as the waiting areas, washrooms and reception.

15. Tele-triage – We make every effort to screen patients by phone before their appointment.
16. COVID-19 screening – On the day of the appointment, we screen our patients for signs or symptoms of COVID-19 as well their travel history.
17. Fever check – We take our patients’ temperature prior to their appointment.
18. Staff’s health – Our staff are not permitted to work if they experience flu-like symptoms or if they have been around family member with flu-like symptoms.
19. Sanitizers – We have added supplies of hand sanitizers for our staff and patients.
20. Extra precaution – We removed items that may be touched by others and which are not easily disinfected such as magazines and newspapers.
21. Switched to disposables – We switched from cups and glasses to disposable cups and bottled water.
22. Social distancing – We maintain social distancing requirements and avoid unnecessary physical contact.
23. More frequent disinfection – We added extra rotations for cleaning and sanitation.

• If you have any need for urgent dental care, please get in touch with us. We’re open and we are ready to help.
• If you are not sure whether your dental problem qualifies as urgent, please give us a call.
• If you have fever, cough, shortness of breath, or flu like symptoms, or if you have been around anyone experiencing these symptoms, please do not come to the office. Please adhere to the advice set by the DHA. Find the nearest clinic or hospital that offers Covid-19 testing. Don’t forget to call the clinic or hospital before walking in.
• Please refrain from bringing anyone else with you to your appointment (other than a legal guardian or care provider if necessary).
• Please maintain social distancing.

We are doing everything we can to keep our practice and our patients safe. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Don’t be afraid. We are here for you.