Also updated with Malaysia Dentists Facemask Shortage issue at the bottom of page :
gettyimage
Surabaya (ANTARA) - Dekan Fakulti Kedoktoran Gigi Universitas Airlangga (Unair) Surabaya, Drg Darmawan Soetijanto menilai doktot gigi terdedah dan berisiko tinggi dengan tularan virus corona atau Covid-19.
Dr Darmawan mengatakan bahawa doktor gigi berisiko tinggi dengan tularan corona kerana ketika ada pesakit, doktor gigi hanya melihat persoalan gigi dan mulut.
"Oleh kerana Penularan Virus Corona ini Cepat. Bagi Dr Gigi Yang berkotak langsung bukan hanya berular melalui ludah tapi juga dari air (aerosal) dari rawatan gigi"
Walaupun dianggap terdedah kepada korona, Darmawan berkata jika pihaknya sejauh ini mempunyai pengalaman yang cukup dalam menangani penyakit berjangkit seperti hepatitis dan HIV-AIDS.
Kerana menurutnya, pengurusan persekitaran amalan kebersihan sangat penting, seperti dalam proses pensterilan, selalu menggunakan autoclaves.
"Kami Menyeru semua dr gigi untuk menjaga & berhati-hati dalam mencegah virus atau penyakit lain termasuk mengekalkan keselamatan pesakit & doktor gigi" - katanya
Lebih lagi, Dr Gigi berurusan secara langsung dengan mulut & air liur pesakit pergigian
gettyimage
"Dari mulut pesakit ini, penghantaran udara boleh berlaku, tetesan atau bahkan bersentuhan. Ini bermakna doktor gigi sangat mudah terserang penyakit ini daripada saluran udara atau sekitar rongga mulut," katanya.
Oleh itu, kewaspadaan dapat dilakukan dengan kawalan pentadbiran, kawalan alam sekitar dan perlindungan dengan menggunakan PPE (peralatan pelindung diri).
"Dalam prinsip kawalan alam sekitar untuk penyakit berjangkit ini terdapat prinsip khayalan (pencairan udara), prinsip penyaringan dan prinsip pembasmian kuman," katanya.
"Jadi, jangan biarkan udara ditutup, mesti ada peredaran udara yang boleh dielakkan juga menggunakan kipas. Kerana, dengan khayalan ini kepekatan kuman atau virus menjadi kurang dan tipis sehingga sukar untuk tumbuh," katanya.
Berita ini dikutip dari Antaranews.com . Google translated dari bahasa Indonesia kepada Bahasa Malaysia .
Related #COVID-19 Malaysia Dental Association Announcement (ENGLISH)
MDA Safety Advisory to Dental Practitioners in the current escalating concern of nCoV (novel Coronavirus) infection
(Updated 08.02.2020)
In view of the current escalating concern of nCoV infection, the MDA urges all members to continue to update oneself on the current development of the situation and updated guidelines through verified sources from the Ministry of Health Malaysia. At the same time, as health care providers who are also the front liners in providing service to the public, we have a duty of care to ensure safety to all our patients, supporting staff, family members, and not forgetting also, to protect ourselves. Please kindly read our advisory together with the updated Guidelines on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Management in Malaysia No. 3/2020 updated 8th February 2020 from the office of Director – General of Health Malaysia.
Below are other additional precautions or preventive measures that could be applied in our dental offices:
1. Do keep your front-desk staff aware and updated of the current situations. Visitors are to put on surgical mask when droplet precaution is needed, such as in coughing and sneezing (symptoms of respiratory tract infection), and to always practice cough and sneeze etiquette. Staffs who are unwell should seek medical attention. Keep the clinic waiting area well-ventilated. Schedule appointments well to avoid overcrowding of waiting area if possible. Limit the number of accompanying family members or friends and if possible, avoid bringing children or the elderly to the clinic unnecessarily. Prepare adequate hand sanitizers for patients’ use as they walk in. All staffs, practitioners including patents and accompanying persons are to observe proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette at all time. Wipe contact surface area including door knobs, handles and desks regularly with standard disinfectants. Please follow the guidelines as published by MDC (refer to Guidelines on Infection Control in Dental Practice, 2017).
2. Screen your patients and their companions as they arrive (not until they are sat on the dental chair). You may consider calling your patients in advance before their appointments to ask if they are well or have travelled to or reside in Mainland China within the last 14 days. Remember that it is not always possible to identify patients with 2019-nCoV early because some have mild or unusual symptoms. 2019-nCoV is to be suspected if the following criteria are met (updated Annex 2c of Guidelines on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Management in Malaysia No. 3/2020 from the office of Director – General of Health Malaysia):
(a) Fever OR acute respiratory infection (sudden onset of respiratory infection with at least one of: shortness of breath, cough or sore throat) with or without fever
AND
(b) Travel to mainland China in the 14 days before the onset of illness OR close contact in 14 days before illness onset with a confirmed case of 2019-nCoV.
If all the criteria above are met, it is advisable to request that they postpone their appointments and refer them to seek medical attention as soon as possible. If they are in need of urgent dental treatment, kindly request them to PUT ON A SURGICAL MASK and wait in an area away from those in the waiting area (do explain why this is necessary). The dental practitioner should be informed of this immediately if such patients are received for further action.
If only criteria (a) is met kindly advise patient to seek medical attention if this has not been made and consider postponing non urgent dental procedure (remember that we are dealing inside the oral cavity most of the time). Also consider advising them to be responsible by taking measures / practices stated in Annex 6a (page 14) and Annex 10a (page 42). The dental practitioners’ discretion on this matter is prudent (we do not want to miss a case of acute odontogenic infection that may also present with fever and sometimes with shortness of breath). If a decision to treat is made then, then always maintain a high standard of Universal Infection Control Precaution with appropriate usage of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) at all times. Please refer the Code of Professional Conduct, 2014, published by MDC, if such decision of not treating a patient is made. On this note, do ensure proper explanation to the patient is made and document the discussion in the records.
3. This advisory should be read together with the following document from the office of Director General of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia.
Link: Guidelines on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Management in Malaysia no. 3/2020 (pdf)
This advisory is to the best of our current information and the MDA cannot be held responsible for any oversight. The MDA will continue to update the advisory as best as we can.
From the President and council members of MDA
Download files: http://bit.ly/37cdUWt
Download latest Guidelines Here (Click Here)
[UPDATE 18 March 2020] : Malaysian Minister bans Malaysia from exporting face masks which are critical in Dental Clinics
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Malaysia cannot export face masks anywhere now, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi has ordered.
The minister’s order was made on March 12 and gazetted today as the Control of Supplies (Prohibition on Export)(Amendment) Regulations 2020.
In this 2020 order, the minister amended the Control of Supplies (Prohibition on Export) Regulations 2011’s Second Schedule to now include four types of face masks among items with an export ban in Malaysia.
In the minister’s order, they are:
1 ply (ear loop) face mask (surgical/medical)
2 ply (ear loop) face mask (surgical/medical)
3 ply (ear loop/head loop/head tie-on) face mask (surgical/medical)
N95 face mask (surgical/medical)
The minister’s order gazetted today was made under his powers under Section 6(2)(b) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi
Malay Mail’s check of the 2011 regulations show that no one is allowed to export any controlled items falling under the Second Schedule to any destination.
With the minister’s amendment, the Second Schedule which previously only had “high speed diesel” listed will now also include these four types of face masks.
The 2011 regulations, however, also state that such export bans are not applicable to anyone who has obtained written permission from the Controller of Supplies, with the export of controlled items by manufacturers or any other persons subject to conditions imposed by the Controller of Supplies in the written permission.
The 2011 regulations lists the penalties for those who fail to comply with the regulations.
This includes maximum fines ranging from RM100,000 to RM500,000 or maximum jail terms of two years or three years or both.
The range of punishment applicable will depend on whether it is an individual or corporate body and if it is the first offence or repeat offence.
RALAT: CRITICALLY LOW LEVEL OF SURGICAL FACE MASKS IN THE PRIVATE DENTAL CLINICS
The Council of the Malaysian Dental Association recently received numerous emails from members practising in the private sector, expressing their concerns on the acute shortage in the supply of surgical face masks since the Covid-19 outbreak. The association then conducted an internal survey amongst her members in the private sector to assess the plight of the private dental practitioners.
The survey revealed a shocking 40% of the 2500 private dental clinics with 3800 dental practitioners will run out of surgical face masks in the next one month and another 40% in the next two months if the critically low supply were to continue . This figure is extremely alarming as dental practitioners and dental auxiliaries are constantly exposed to contaminated aerosols generated from most of the dental/ oral cavity procedures in their healthcare facilities. Therefore, appropriate personal protective equipment(PPE) should be maintained to prevent any possible cross contamination within the healthcare facilities.
Dentistry is one of the frontlines in our healthcare system which shall not be neglected from this Covid-19 healthcare crisis. It is an essential service and shall be maintained even in critical periods.
The Malaysian Dental Association would like to urge the government to ensure that the supply of surgical face masks to all healthcare providers in both public and private sector shall not be disrupted. All export of locally made surgical face masks must be banned. KPDNHEP has to remove the current ceiling price of surgical face masks as raw material prices have increased many folds by now.
The Malaysian Dental Association would also like to suggest the current surgical face mask manufacturers that dedicate their supply solely to the government hospitals and institutions, to allocate a fair distribution to private dental clinics to resolve this acute shortage of surgical face mask. The importers of surgical face masks should also prioritize the supply to the private dental industry with reasonable price.
In the recent announcement made by Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, China has promised to assist Malaysia by providing medical equipment and supplies dealing with the virus. We seek the government assistance to channel the surgical face mask supply to mitigate the shortage in the private dental sector
These action plans will allow private dental care to function to its optimal standards. Any disruption of the private healthcare system will directly or indirectly further burden the public healthcare system.
If the current shortage continues, the government should continue to monitor the movement of surgical face masks and ensure all affected private dental clinics get at least 2-3 boxes of surgical face masks per month to safeguard the health and well-being of dental practitioners and dental auxiliaries.
The Malaysian Dental Association looks forward to the swift action of Malaysia government to ensure a continued supply of surgical face masks, especially in the private sector. We are more than happy to meet, discuss and assist in whatever way to safeguard the well being of both patients and the dental teams.
Serving Together With You President and Council 2019/2021 Malaysian Dental Association
Some UK dentists may have to "down drills" if the shortage of face masks caused by the coronavirus outbreak continues, according to the British Dental Association.
All practices are now restricted to ordering 100 masks a day, leaving larger ones with several dentists running out of supplies.- Article sourced from BBC Article dated February 2020
Even small surgeries are using up their allocation completely, the BDA says.
Ministers said central stockpiles of face masks were available.
The dentists' trade union says it has been inundated with calls from members about the shortage of masks.
Current guidance means dentists across the UK must wear disposable face masks when treating patients.
But China is the world's major manufacturer and prices have tripled since January, when the new coronavirus started circulating in the country.
And the BDA says supply problems and panic-buying have taken their toll.
Its chairman, Mick Armstrong, said dentists had been hit by "clumsy rationing and naked profiteering" in recent weeks.
"Sadly a 'one size fits all' approach from suppliers is leaving many larger practices with few options," he said.
"Our abiding interest is the safety of our patients, who face imminent disruption to their care.
"Unless we see a rapid increase in supply, dentists without face masks will have little choice but to down drills."
A typical NHS surgery with one dentist can get through 250 masks a week - but larger surgeries with more dentists would run out completely under the current restrictions.
The BDA said it had been contacted by concerned dental practices, some of whom had up to 13 dentists.
It said dentists would be running out of masks as early as next week.
The shortage is not just affecting the UK - the BDA says dentists in Australia have also expressed their concern over a lack of face masks.
A spokesman from the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We have central stockpiles of a range of medical products, including face masks, to mitigate supply problems and help ensure the uninterrupted supply to the NHS.
He added: "We have well-established procedures to deal with supply problems, regardless of the cause, and work closely with industry, the NHS and others in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised."
Another article sourced from CNET dated February 29th 2020
Face masks: How they work, the two types and who should wear them (hint: very few people)
Before you run to the store to get a face mask, consider if you really need one in the first place.
On Feb. 29, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted:
Adams' tweet echoes the CDC's guidance that the general public should not use face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus -- only those who are exhibiting symptoms should wear masks to protect others. The CDC's page on COVID-19 treatment and prevention states,
"CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19."
Despite that, fears of coronavirus have made finding these masks online difficult. As of Feb. 29, both face masks and N95 respirator masks are either sold out online or marked up significantly, especially on Amazon and Walmart.com.
A better way to protect yourself from coronavirus
Despite the very small number of coronavirus cases in the US, many people are eager to protect themselves. The best way to protect yourself from the current coronavirus -- and any other virus such as the flu -- is to stick to basic hygiene habits. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face (especially your mouth, nose and eyes), sneeze or cough into your elbow, stay home when you're sick and disinfect surfaces often.