AGP COVID 19 DENTISTRY PROTOCOL
Around Good People is using CDC guidance to address the unique
risks of contagious agents in the dental environment. CDC Covid19
guidance is updated frequently.
It is not possible to eliminate all risks. It is possible to employ
precautions that mitigate risks and protect our faculty, staff, students,
and patients. Universal body substance precautions remain as the front
line for reasonable risk reduction. However, when dealing with a
contagious agent that is spread by droplet contact, we need to
recognize the need to manage our generation of aerosols as a prudent
additional measure. This AGP Covid protocol seeks to implement
additional risk reduction while still maintaining a reasonable level of
service for our outreach/partner dental hospital patients and community.
This protocol will be updated frequently as local and national public
health information is available.
AGP Covid-19 Dentistry Protocol
All elective procedures are suspended until further notice. Procedures
that generate aerosols are permitted only under tightly controlled
conditions as stipulated below and after COVID-19 testing. (Aerosol
procedures involve the use of a hand piece, ultrasonic unit, and/or air-
water syringe.) For all other procedures that generate minimal amounts
of aerosol, the patient may rinse their mouth with water from a
disposable cup. The water may be removed with an evacuation straw,
not a high-volume suction, or the patient may expectorate into another
cup, especially if their mouth is anesthetized.
The following is a guide to what may be regarded as urgent procedures.
Urgent care includes any patient needs that are urgent, such as:
• Pain (including chronic ulcerative mucosal disease
management)
• Swelling of gums, face, or neck
• Signs of infection such as a draining site
• Trauma to face, jaw, or teeth, including fractures
• Pre- and post-transplant, radiation, or bisphosphonate
patients with oral symptoms (evaluate by telephone
screening first)
• Pre-transplant evaluations
• Referrals made by physicians or other health care providers
• Potential malignancy
• Broken tooth
• Ill-fitting denture
• Final crown/bridge cementation if the temporary restoration
has broken
• Repair or replacement of a provisional restoration
• In all cases, it is desirable for the urgent care provider to
evaluate the patient by telephone call or teledentistry prior to
advising the patient to come in for care.
Students are not allowed to participate in patient care until
further notice.
All personnel, including faculty, staff, and students, must self-
assess their health daily before reporting to the designated
supervisor-in-Charge of its Dental Placement. They must respond
“No” to all the following questions:
• Fever >100.00 F
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Flu-like symptoms
• Recent and abrupt loss or reduction of the sense of smell
and/or taste
• Close personal contact (without PPE) with a suspected or
laboratory-confirmed COVID-
19 patient in the past 2 weeks
• Travel within the past 2 weeks to a region with high rates of
COVID-19 disease activity
If they may be ill or may transmit a communicable disease, or if
their temperature is >100.00 F, they must not come to work but
must report in sick.