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Covid-19 impacts dental surgeries, patients forced to suffer in pain
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, most of the dentists are not opening their clinics. They are preferring providing phone consultation and antibiotic prescriptions to their patients.
It has been more than a fortnight since 38-year-old Ravinder Singh has been suffering from an acute pain due to the cavity in his two molars. Singh needs root canal treatment (RCT) or endodontic therapy to get rid of his toothache. However, Singh may have to bear his sufferings till the stemming of the Covid-19, a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus as endodontists are forced not to make any physical therapy fearing the virus’s spreading.
“I have been taking antibiotics for last two weeks, as prescribed by my dentist, but there is no relief from the pain. Sometimes, the pain becomes too severe and I can’t sleep. I am imploring my dentist to extract my both teeth if RCT is not possible at this time, but he too seems helpless. I am also fearing for my health as taking antibiotics on daily basis is dangerous for heart,” said Singh, who is a businessman and a resident of Palasaur village in Punjab’ Tarn Taran district.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, most of the dentists are not opening their clinics. They are preferring providing phone consultation and antibiotic prescriptions to their patients. The endodontists feel that giving physical therapy until the virus is fully supressed is not possible.
The endodontists further say that besides the availability of effective disinfectants, one PPE kit is required for every patient while conducting endodontic therapy, that too, in emergency cases. They, however, are also in trepidation that using separate kits and disinfectants in their clinics are not enough to arrest the spreading of the infection. With this, dental patients, including those who need emergency therapy, are forced to suffer.
“I am receiving frequent calls from my patients who need RCT-like therapies. Some want their teeth be extracted due to severe pain. But we are not supposed to treat them physically. We are not caring about ourselves, but for the patients, and to check the spreading of the virus. According to guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), coronavirus infection spreads from mouth, nose and eyes. If we start giving physical therapy to our patients, it would be a catastrophic. Suppose a coronavirus patient comes to us for the treatment, he or she can infect the whole clinic, and the infection would spread to other patients. The main problem occurs when viral particles are aerosolised during the dental care,” said dentist Sher Singh, who has been practicing endodontics for last 15 years in Tarn Taran.
He further said, “As the government has been saying, patient in emergency should be treated by using precautions, but, it is also not possible. We can’t treat emergency patients too. We need separate PPE for every patient. Besides, effective disinfectants will be required for disinfecting the clinic. However, there is already a shortage of PPE in the market.”
Dr Sanjeev Sharma, general secretary of Indian Dental Association in Amritsar, said, “We have asked all dentists not to open their clinic, but continue giving free consultation to the patients on phone. There is no solution of giving physical therapy to dental patents until the virus is fully contained. When physical therapy, like teeth cutting, extraction and RCT, is given to the patient, droplets from their mouth and nose fly in the air that will be very dangerous. The small dentists are also suffering financially, but we are forced to do so.”
He said some quacks are still constantly giving physical therapy to the dental patients, and it should be stopped immediately.
Dr Pankaj, medical officer (dental) at Patti Civil hospital in Tarn Taran, said the machine being used by dentists can also spread infection. “Except severe emergency, we are avoiding giving physical treatments to patients. Even wearing of PPE kits can’t stop the spreading of coronavirus disease during dental care,” he said.
