The rapid emergence and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to a pandemic of COVID-19 disease.  This lecture provides an overview of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and uses this foundation to make recommendations for considerations in mitigating the existence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the dental setting.   

Objectives:

At the completion of this course, the practitioner should be able to:

Describe the biology of COVID-19, its symptoms and common risk factors for exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
Describe changes in equipment and policies in the dental practice designed to mitigate the risk of exposure and spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Describe communication strategies with dental patients to manage symptomatic patients and to reassure them for receiving dental care in the era of COVID-19.