Both professionals and dental patients are usually exposed to pathogenic microbes, including viruses and bacteria. Dental healthcare workers are more prone to get an infection due to their proximity and direct contact with patients. The clinical treatment of nasopharyngeal area through procedures generating aerosols becomes contagious with infected saliva and blood. Dentistry, in general, and periodontal, endodontic, and prosthodontic
surgeries specifically are procedures that generate aerosols. Almost all the steps of root canal treatment (RCT) usually use rotary machines that generate aerosols that are contaminated with infected blood, saliva, and mucous secretions of the treated patient. Unenviable, symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and symptomatic apical periodontitis and dentialveolar laxative injuries are emergencies that need operative intervention. Any pharmacological treatments such as antibiotics or analgesics for pulpal pain, such as analgesics and/or dexamethasone injection, would not get rid of the source of inflammation and can worsen the affected tooth. To perform emergency RCT, rigorous adherence is required to the standard infection prevention control guidelines and the following special measures to minimize or prevent cross-infection during this pandemic. This
literature review provides knowledge about the possible route of transmission, pharmacological treatments of dental pain, applying standardized infection control measures, conservative access cavity preparation for RCT, biomechanical precautions, and procedures that should be followed during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic.
Key words: Aerosols, airborne diseases, coronavirus disease, mode of transmission, N95, operative dentistry.
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