Abstract

Objective: To assess infection control measures in dental practices during COVID outbreak in Pakistan.
Study design: Observational study
Place and Duration of Study: Survey was conducted online through Google form from June 2020 to August 2020.
Methodology: It was observational web based survey conducted during covid-19 outbreak from the period of June 2020 to August 2020. The study participants were the dental surgeons who were either working in hospital setup or running their own private practise or working in private dental setup. The survey consist of sets of questions to assess whether dental practitioners have implemented strategies to combat novel corona virus infection in their practise. It also consists of questions that assess aerosol generating procedures are commencing with or without out any COVID-10 symptoms.
Results: About 39.1% participants reported that 75% of the number of patients in their clinic had been reduced and 52.2% of the participants reported that >50% of the patients came for endodontic procedures with pain. About 80.9% of the participants were maintaining hand hygiene before touching all patients, 71.7% before any cleaning, 78.3% before any aseptic procedure, 81% after exposure to patient’s fluid and 80.4% after touching. About 62.6% were using eye wear for all patients, 80.4% were using face masks, 58.7% were disinfecting whole clinical room before new patient and 43.9% were using single use (disposable) examination set during COVID-19 outbreak.
Conclusion: Majority of dentist in Pakistan were following the recommendations and guidelines of infection control practices related to COVID-19 pandemic.

Key words: COVID-19, coronavirus, infection control measures, practices, dentistry