Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 16: Former president of Indian Dental Association (IDA) Jammu, Dr Gautam Sharma, has demanded an exclusive economic package for the dental surgeons as they will not be able to work on patients at least 2-3 months after lifting of COVID-19 lockdown.
Dr Sharma said that he has interacted with many dentists as well as executive body members of various dental associations and all were of the view that due to abundant presence of COVID-19 virus in nasopharyngeal and salivary secretions it would be impossible to treat the patients as dental procedures produce a lot of aerosols and this virus transmit through droplets.
He said that private dental practitioners who were solely dependent on their income from the dental clinics are worst hit due to lockdown but they have to pay the rent of the clinics, salary of the employees, pending bills and loans from the bank.
The former president of IDA Jammu said that as soon as the lockdown is lifted, the public can start the work with mouth masks on, the shops will open, factories will start production, people can travel and everything will be on track but a dental surgeon can’t treat a patient with patient’s mouth mask on.
“The patient has to remove the mask before any procedure can be done on him. If a Coronavirus carrier comes for treatment to a dental clinic then no level of precaution can stop splatter of saliva and aerosol production if scaling, cavity preparation with air rotor, use of reduction handpiece or any other aerosol producing procedure is undertaken. Hence it would be very difficult for dentists to undertake any procedure in patient’s oral cavity some months even after the lockdown is lifted,” he added.
Dr Sharma demanded that Central Government shall take this as a special case for private practitioner dentists throughout the country and order to waive the rents of the clinics and reduce the interest on the bank loans which dentists have taken to establish their clinics.
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