COVID-19 Outbreak and Dentistry

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has thrown the world into an economic and healthcare crisis. There are well over two million and a half cases globally and more than 169,000 deaths (COVID-19 Update: 20/04/2020). Particularly, in the dental profession represents a major challenge. Due to the characteristics of dental settings, the risk of cross-infection is elevated between patients and dental staff. Dental procedures can generate a large number of droplets and aerosols, provoking that the standard protective measures in daily clinical work may not be effective enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially when patients are in the incubation period or unaware that they are infected.

The ongoing experience of COVID-19 in our countries is creating enormous uncertainty. Worldwide private dental care settings, universities dental clinics and dental care at hospitals are closed, some just accessible for dental emergencies. On the other hand, this pandemic generated several academic strategies in the faculties of dentistry to maintain guidance and the continuity of the academic year. Since Dentistry is, mainly, a clinical practice career, the use of strategies in the virtual learning has been a challenge for universities worldwide. Indeed, the use of virtual simulation approaches, mannequins, and online learning apps are necessary to complement academics.

On all of our readers´ minds are emerging concerns about sustaining their dental practices; perceptions about supply shortage; adjusting procedures to ensure safety precautions, and avoiding potential exposures while dealing with the overall economic effects and their patients/staff needs.

This pandemic has repercussions not only in our infection control system but also in the bioethical, economic and psychological fields, provoking social inequities and evoking important modifications to the different daily procedures in our profession.

Thus, the editorial board is calling for letters to the editors, case reports, short manuscripts and all types of research to enrich the dental community regarding all aspects that should be considered during this health crisis. From May 2, 2020, we would be prioritizing academic background of high quality to contribute to our novel profession.

Finally, this is the moment for all of us to rise to the challenge of collaborative leadership and work together to find pathways to emerge from this crisis with a global professional reset.