Today is National Dentist’s Day when we show appreciation and thanks for our dentists. We are fortunate to have gifted and talented dentists at the Manos Amigas clinic: Dra. Elena Castillo, Dra. Marcela Paz, and Dr. Adonis Garcia along with dental students Sindy Coto and Claudia Martinez. Dra. Cecia Garcia has a private practice in Santa Rosa, but regularly volunteers at Manos Amigas. Thank you to each of you for all you do to provide outstanding dental care to the patients who come to the clinic. And, thank you to the retired dentists on our board of directors — Dr. Robert Sumner, Dr. Peter Thompson, and Dr. Bob Krauss; and the dentists who have volunteered on brigades.

Adonis Garcia was a dental student who performed his required year of service at Manos Amigas as part of dental school curriculum in Honduras. He recently completed a continuing education program in endodontics with a professional development scholarship from Serving at the Crossroads and works part-time at the clinic.

But, working this past year hasn’t been easy for these dentists. The New York Times has stated that dentistry is the most high-risk profession for exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The use of high-speed drills and ultrasonic instruments create aerosols containing the virus which add to its transmissibility. Because of this, new protocols had to be developed to protect dental patients, dentists, and dental axillary staff.

Prior to treatment, patients are questioned if they have had a fever, cough, suffered from fatigue, lost their sense of smell, or have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 and then their temperature is taken. If all of the above is found to be negative for the virus, they are instructed to wash their hands, and are given an oral rinse which is used to reduce the number of oral microbes prior to treatment.

Only after all of this is done can the patient be seated in the dental chair. Basically, anything in the operatory that cannot be wiped down with disinfectant between every patient has been put away in drawers or cabinets. The dental staff has added more PPE to their masks and gloves than they used prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Now they have head coverings, face shields, gowns, and foot coverings. The Manos Amigas staff has taken this a step further and uses full-body cover including hoods and boots. They wipe all of this with disinfectant between patients.

*The Manos Amigas dental staff in their personal protective equipment.*

To greatly reduce the spread of the aerosol created when drilling or using ultrasonics, Serving at the Crossroads purchased an external high-speed evacuator, which is positioned a few inches away from the patient’s mouth. This evacuator, the Aspi Laser Steril, is equipped with a Hepa 14 filter which is 99.99 % effective in removing particles down to .01 microns, providing significant protection for the Manos Amigas staff.

*Using the new Aspi Laser Steril high-speed evacuator protects the dentists and other staff who are assisting.*

After the patient receives treatment, he or she puts their face mask back on and leaves. The staff then wipes down the whole room with disinfectant, sterilizes the instruments, and throws out the disposable items. All of these precautions, while obviously necessary, take extra time, require extra equipment, and more PPE, all of which add to the cost of dental treatment.

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