“COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS RAMIFICATION ON DENTISTRY”

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, new biosafety measures are necessary to reduce contagion. Dentistry is a profession that works directly with the oral cavity and is therefore exposed to this virus or other infectious agents. Because of this, some measures need to be taken to minimize contagion. Saliva and aerosol are closely related to dentistry and an established route of disease transmission. Among the dental radiographic imaging modalities, the highest risk of cross contamination is associated with intraoral radiographic techniques. Hence, extraoral techniques such as panoramic and CBCT are preferred with a caution for radiation exposure. Thus currently, in the pandemic of COVID-19, strict adherence to infection control protocol is the only way to decelerate the disease transmission.