TELEHEALTH IN DENTISTRY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Dr. Anmol Zahoor*, Dr. Humera Gohar, Dr. Ayesha Karim, Dr. Sara Khan, Dr. Rida Zulfiqar Ali and Hawwa Zahoor
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus also known as SARS-CoV-2, is responsible for causing the coronavirus disease (COVID 19),which is highly contagious. The virus is transmitted mainly via droplets and airborne. There have been 2,125,336 deaths so far. In Pakistan specifically, a total of 530,818 cases have been documented. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the medical and dental field. Dentistry in particular, has been greatly affected due to the risk of increase in transmission of the coronavirus, especially due to asymptomatic carriers. Most dental procedures are considered to be Aerosol-Generating Procedures, AGP. That is, they produce a large amount of aerosol and droplets. This research was conducted to study the awareness of telemedicine in dentistry and to determine how beneficial it can be to the community. Out of 75 participants enrolled in our study, 21 (28%) were male and 54 (72%) were female. 38 (50.7%) of the candidates had suffered from a dental problem and 64 (85.3%) considered it difficult to receive dental treatment during the COVID 19 pandemic. Telehealth and online consultations are now increasingly used to due its ease of access and reduced risk of exposure to the coronavirus. The general population as well as some medical professionals are still reluctant to use such modes of consultation. However, with some improvement and advancement of the modalities, telehealth is considered to be a promising platform.
Keywords: Dentistry, Pandemics, Telemedicine.
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