Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

In last month of 2019, Wuhan Health Commission of Hubei province of the Republic of China reported a group of 27 patients with pneumonia of obscure etiology, presenting with a constellation of symptoms such as fever, non-productive cough, dyspnoea, and bilateral ground-glass opacities with patchy shadows in computed tomography of the lungs. The patients were epidemiologically traced back into Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, trading live species of bats, pangolins, snakes, and badgers which bolstered the hypothesis that a live animal had been the intermediary of transmitting a pathogen to the patients. On 11th of February 2020, World Health Organization named the novel viral pneumonia as “Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19)” while the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) named this novel virus as “SARS-CoV-2” following phylogenetic and taxonomic analysis. In terms of the exposure risk for various working categories, dental practitioners confront the highest risk of COVID-19 infection due to constant exposure to saliva, droplets, blood, and aerosols. Therefore, inhalation of infected droplets/aerosols and direct contact with contaminated instruments or surfaces puts both dental practitioners and patients at stake. Present article provides the insight of Covid-19 infection and precautions and considerations to the practice dentistry in this pandemic.