Article Type : Opinion Article
Authors : Attar S
Keywords : Implants; Full mouth rehabilitation; Prosthesis
The Covid-19 outbreak has had a major impact on
the healthcare system around the world. This article discusses the role of the dentist
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The
dentist is an important team member of the daily healthcare practice in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The dentist has helped protect the public from the
COVID-19 pandemic disease by participating in numerous initiatives, including
dental treatment, health education, promotion, medication, patient counselling,
and self-management training in current outbreaks and emergency preparedness.
The full use of dentist skills has strengthened Saudi Arabia's reaction to the
care of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 was confirmed as a community health emergency
of international interest on January 30, 2020 and on March 8, 2020 the World
Health Organization declared the Covid-19 epidemic [1]. There is no specific
treatments for Covid-19. However, several clinical trials are underway to
evaluate potential treatments. The World Health Organization continues to
provide updated information as clinical results are available. More than 105
million confirmed cases have been reported with more than 2 million deaths related
to this pathogen as of Febrary7th, 2021 [2]. The dentist played a significant
role in treating patients in a timely manner which reduced unnecessary hospital
visits as individuals were at high risk of disclosure to Covid-19. The dentist
learned about the occurrence, spread and prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic
[3]. In addition to providing counselling services, dental professionals have
actively participated in community services such as encouraging the public to
wear surgical masks, social distancing, use of hand sanitizers, and avoiding
social gatherings. The dentist also participated in the virtual online,
following WHO guidelines on predictable rules and discussing new policies to
combat the current epidemic. Dentists advised patients to use various
collaborative platforms during Covid-19 [4]. Here are the steps needed to
effectively use the dentist's expertise during the Covid-19 pandemic. This
includes: clarifying and maintaining dental cases, coordinating and
collaborating with the dentist Workplace skills. Epidemic response from China
and the United States America, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom as
indicators of a new modus operandi Regulations could change to stimulate dental
practice by responding to the pandemic [1].
In Saudi Arabia, more than 369,809 cases of Covid-19
have been reported with 6,385 deaths as of February 7th, 2021 [2]. The first
case of Covid-19 occurred in Saudi Arabia on March 2, 2020. The epidemic has
led to the spread of the temporary closure of air traffic, companies,
government offices and educational institutions. People are no longer allowed
to remain in the Two Holy Mosques Mecca (for Umrah) and Medina [5]. The kingdom
has stopped distributing all medical devices and products, including diagnostic
or preventive agents, to ensure their availability. In the COVID-19 pandemic.
It owns several hospitals in various governorates of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. It is set up to handle Covid-19 incidents. The primary responsibility
for dealing with Covid-19 lies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the
responsibility of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and hospital institutions,
approving the most suitable approach to awareness and replication. The Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia has begun to take many precautionary measures to combat
Covid-19. The immediate action was to establish a committee of organizations
from various governments to identify and implement the necessary measures
against Covid-19 [6].
Recently, vaccine available for the outbreak and
avoiding it is the only way to prevent it Consequently, transmission of the
virus, Ministry of Health and other sectors Big initiatives to inform the
public about the different ways to stop the virus, followed by the "We are
all responsible" campaign of the Ministry of Health. These control
measures have played a significant factor in limiting the transmission of
SARS-CoV-2 with fewer deaths. The death rate is very low in Saudi Arabia
compared to other countries due to the most suitable sanitation equipment
available at all levels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [7]. The Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia has a top-tier and well-equipped healthcare system in the world,
developing a treatment and use plan is an important part of health care [8,9].
The dentist can play an important role in daily health care in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. They had the potential to serve in various roles during the
recent COVID-19 pandemic. The dentist is known for his importance in
precautionary care and for the response to Covid-19; they have remained at the
forefront of public safety by serving as key points of contact. The dentist in
Saudi Arabia makes an important contribution by keeping patients safe in their
homes and providing them with medications by mail, as well as providing ongoing
remote counselling during Covid-19 [10]. During the current Covid-19 crisis,
the dentist in Saudi Arabia has led to a broad introduction of the dental
management business in clinical and non-clinical settings. In the current
Covid-19 crisis, the hospital's dentist in the Kingdom has formulated emergency
rules to prevent person-to-person infection, and patients have been asked to
use mobile apps to send messages to get advice requested by the dentist [11].
Prevention and preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic are imperative not only
for the general public, but also for healthcare professionals in a clinical
setting. Because healthcare workers are at risk for the disease, the hospital
dentist encouraged colleagues to wear personal protective equipment, such as
gowns, goggles, face shields, masks, and gloves. In Saudi Arabia, the role of
dentists has not been limited only to dentistry, but adequate reporting of
individuals suspected of having Covid-19 to the relevant authorities. Dentist
in Saudi Arabia manage chronic diseases, ensure that the patient followed their
treatment protocol, and encouraged continued adherence to dental counselling
which reduced unnecessary hospital visits, as the individual is at high risk of
disclosure to Covid-19. In Saudi Arabia, the dentist has prepared educational
materials such as posters, flyers, application signs and text information to
simplify the guidelines of the Health care institutes. Additionally, dentists
have provided medication advice and counselling online, particularly for
high-risk individuals and those in home quarantine or isolation for disease.
The dentist in Saudi Arabia played an important role in this endeavour. The
ultimate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic risks leading to a major
reorganization of global health care. It is imperative to keep up with current
information on Covid-19 in order to address the containment of this epidemic
[12,13].