Dental team member compliance with personal protective equipment and aerosol-generating procedure recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel: An observational study

IntroductionCoronaviruses which have been responsible for numerous epidemics worldwide, share common transmission modalities and pose a risk within dental clinics. Updated, COVID-19-specific infection control and personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines for dental settings, including minimizing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs), were issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health (MoH) in spring 2020.This study investigated dental team members (dentists, dental assistants and hygienists) compliance with MoH recommendations exposed to asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients. MethodsThe MoH analysed exposure reports from dental clinics to asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive patients following their reopening (April 2020). Exposure reports were verified against a COVID-19 national database. A cumulative transmission rate was calculated and compared to the rate in the population. ResultsOne thousand three hundred twenty-third exposure reports were received (May 1-December 31, 2020) regarding dental team members who treated asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive patients: 525 (39.7%) were dentists, 656 (49.6%) dental assistants and 126 (9.5%) hygienists. Practitioner type was not reported in 16 (1.2%) cases.Most dental team members reported full PPE use and performance of short/non-aerosol-generating procedures. Dentists and hygienists reported higher compliance compared with dental assistants.8 (0.6%) dental team members (four dentists, four dental assistants) were positive post-exposure, with an average of 5.4 days (median 5 days, SD = 4.8) from dental treatment to a positive COVID-19 test. Principal ConclusionsMost dental team members complied fully with the MoH recommendations. Differences were found between the dental team members (hygienists being most adherent). Further efforts are required to encourage full compliance.