I get regularly news from the American Dental Association to stay on top of the latest news and dental developments. Earlier this week, this came across my desk and thought that this might be interesting to you.
I am often asked about the safety of dentistry due to COVID and potential exposure to disease. You might be reassured to know that, in a recent study of saliva (yes, saliva!) produced during dental procedures poses low risk of transmission of disease, specifically SARS-CoV-2 otherwise known as COVID.
Study: Saliva is not a big source of aerosol droplets
An Ohio State University study published in the Journal of Dental Research found that 0.1% to 1.2% of microbes in aerosols distributed throughout the room during dental procedures were from saliva, while 78% were from irrigants. The findings suggest dental procedures pose a low risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and support results of a study in the Journal of the American Dental Association, which found a COVID-19 positivity rate of less than 1% among dentists, ADA News reports. "These findings should help us open up our practices, make ourselves feel safe about our environment and, for patients, get their oral and dental problems treated," said Purnima Kumar, D.D.S., Ph.D., a member of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and the study's senior author.
Full Story: ADA News (5/25)
