COVID-19

Orthodontic Clinic

(COVID-19; infection control measures)           

 Inside the clinic:

Sources of contamination in orthodontic clinics include: saliva, aerosol procedures, orthodontic instruments and materials. The following measures regarding infection control and aerosol containment must be strictly followed:

 Pre-procedural:

Hand hygiene is crucial, a protocol of 5 hand washings for clinicians (2 before and 3 after treatment) is recommended. Hand hygiene applies also to patients.

Air and/or water related dental instrumentation (handpiece, spray syringe, and/or ultrasonic scaler) in direct usage to patients’ oral cavity should be flushed and pseudo-tested for 2 minutes at the start of each day, as well as for 30 seconds between patients.

Pre-procedural mouth rinse using hydrogen peroxide 1%, or Povidine iodine (PI) 0.2% to 1% is required for 1min.     

 Procedural:

Avoid using gel etchant as it might require a considerably higher pressure of water flow to be washed off, as well as a longer washing period. High water pressure used generates splatter, which does not belong to the aerosol classification, but may too contribute to the contamination of the operatory.

 Post-procedural:

Enamel clean-up after debonding should be done with carbide tungsten burs under water cooling conditions.

For more limited clean-up procedures, with traces of adhesive remnants left on enamel or individual “re-bracketings” hand-instruments are used.

Measures of self-protection should be performed (gowns – gloves – facemasks with filter protection layers, face shields, and foot cover for all clinic personnel).

Careful disinfection of all dental surfaces should be done with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

All clinical wastes are handled as infectious waste.

 General considerations:

Appropriate ventilation and fresh air flow within the operating rooms are very importance.

Careful disinfection of surfaces as door handles, chairs, and desks with 70% isopropyl alcohol is highly recommended.

These infection control measures are taken to create the safest environment for the patients, their families, and the members of the department of orthodontics so please make sure to follow.

 Updates will be continuously announced.

Orthodontic Clinic

(COVID-19; organizational measures)     

Outside the clinic:

 The following organizational measures regarding screening and limiting patient numbers should be followed strictly:

Patient triage is necessary. Emergency cases are of priority, routine appointments may be postponed during lock-down times.

Patients and their accompanying persons are asked to arrive with a mask of their own and are required to wear a mask during their presence in the clinic (except during the orthodontic procedure) or the waiting area.

Patients and their accompanying persons may have their temperature taken with a touchless infra-red thermometer at the entrance of the building.

Patients and their accompanying persons will be asked to walk through sanitizing gate at the entrance of the building.

Patients and their accompanying persons will be asked to wait in the waiting area outside the clinic and will be invited to the clinic by a calling system.

Only patients attend their appointment to limit persons within the clinic. Accompanying person(s) is/are not allowed to enter the clinic.

Appointments will be spaced out to allow for physical distancing between patients by reducing the number of patients in the clinic at any one time. Therefore, the interval between patient's appointments may be longer.

Patients should use hand sanitizer in the clinic; once the hands have been sanitized it is requested not to touch anything, except while in the treatment chair.

If a patient had a positive history of contact and/or symptoms, no treatment should be performed, and the patient should be reported to the management. This applies also to accompanying persons.

(Postponing dental treatments to up to 14 days after the exposure)

These organizational procedures are taken to create the safest environment for the patients, their families, and the members of the department of orthodontics so please make sure to follow.

 Updates will be continuously announced.