Prev Chronic Dis . Oral Health and COVID-19: Increasing the Need for Prevention and Access

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Prev Chronic Dis


. 2020 Aug 13;17:E82.
doi: 10.5888/pcd17.200266.
Oral Health and COVID-19: Increasing the Need for Prevention and Access


Zachary Brian ¹ , Jane A Weintraub ²



Affiliations

• PMID: 32790606
• DOI: 10.5888/pcd17.200266

Abstract

Populations disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are also at higher risk for oral diseases and experience oral health and oral health care disparities at higher rates. COVID-19 has led to closure and reduced hours of dental practices except for emergency and urgent services, limiting routine care and prevention. Dental care includes aerosol-generating procedures that can increase viral transmission. The pandemic offers an opportunity for the dental profession to shift more toward nonaerosolizing, prevention-centric approaches to care and away from surgical interventions. Regulatory barrier changes to oral health care access during the pandemic could have a favorable impact if sustained into the future.