Coronavirus Overview for Dental Professionals
By Susan Davide, RDH, MS, MSEd; Anty Lam, RDH, MPH; and Christine Macarelli, RDH, MS
The 2019 novel coronavirus, which manifests as COVID-19, is described as the defining global health crisis of our time. The most recent disease to be classified by the World Health Organization as a pandemic, COVID-19 joins cholera, bubonic plague, smallpox, and influenza as among the most brutal killers in history. As researchers work to develop pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19, valiant efforts are being made worldwide to prevent or reduce transmission. Healthcare professionals are facing unprecedented circumstances related to patient care and growing concern about this deadly disease; for example, nationwide most dental practices are closed except for emergency treatment only.
