Updated CDC Dental Settings Guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidance for Dental Settings: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Dental Settings During the COVID-19 Response was updated on June 17. Recent changes included:
- Removal of the recommendation to wait 15 minutes after completion of clinical care and exit of each patient to begin the disinfection of room surfaces. This recommendation better aligns with the CDC document Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings.
- A recommendation that patients inform the dental clinic if symptoms emerge or if diagnosed with COVID-19 following a dental appointment has been changed to two days to align with CDC's Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Work Restrictions for Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure to COVID-19.
- The addition of clarifying language to Engineering Controls.
Impact on General Dentistry: COVID-19 may permanently change infection control practices in dental health care settings. The CDC continues to assess emerging scientific evidence for developing policies, guidelines, and recommendations. AGD members can find the most up-to-date information about infection prevention and control practices on the CDC's COVID-19 page. AGD is actively working with agencies to make certain that official federal guidance is reasonable, attainable, and understandable for dental health care providers as they care for patients during this challenging time.