latest update of office infection control

Our office has been opened for about 3 months after the lockdown from March to May. We are fully aware of the current Covid-19 situation in our country and especially our local community so we are trying our best in our daily practice to create the safest environment for dental care.

I know many of you are still debating whether it is a good time to go to the dental office. The good news is there hasn't been a single reported covid case contracted in dental office in the country. Another good news is the positive covid cases and covid -related mortality in Temecula valley are relatively low, in comparison with the rest of Riverside county and California state, so we are actually in a better and safer position in our local community.

At the same time, we do witness an upswing of dental emergencies including toothache, wisdom tooth pain, dental abscess and worsened gum infection, due to delayed dental care. As a result, many people with systemic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart, lung and kidney problems are experiencing worsened medical conditions due to infection of teeth and gum, which is an integral part of human body. This, in turn, makes them more prone to Covid-19 infection. A newest study suggests a link between gum disease and Covid-19 (Reference 1). This study supports the previous finding by British researchers who found connection between poor oral hygiene and severity of Covid-19 (Reference 2).

Dentists have long been known as the infection control experts in all categories of health care providers, due to the unique nature and setting of dental care. Our office has long been proud for social distancing by prescheduling patients to avoid congregation, and limiting the size of team (only three team members including myself). In the era of Covid-19, we are implementing even more strict measures to safeguard our patients and our team. Below is an update of the current infection control measures in our office:

We monitor the daily health status of each of our team members;
We screen each patient by asking Covid-related health history and checking temperatures. Any suspicious case will be postponed for at least 3 weeks until total clearance.
Facing covering is required in the office. We will give you a mask if you do not have one.
All magazines are removed from the reception area to avoid cross contamination.
We schedule one patient at a time to avoid congregation; Only one parent or guardian is allowed for a minor patient in the office;
We use chairside high volume suction to minimize aerosol production and UVC air purifier/sanitizer in the treatment rooms to keep clean air;
We disinfect each room, front desk area, door handles and any other place that is touched by patients or staff. This is completed after each patient leaves the office;
We use hypochlorous acid (HOCL) cold fogging to disinfect the whole office multiple times daily. HOCL is a potent killer of bacteria, fungi and viruses, about 80-120 times more potent than chlorine bleach. It is 100% safe and non-irritant to human body, providing the maximum protection for our patients and our team. Check the video here.

Please stay safe and healthy! We look forward to seeing your smiles again! Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions!

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