Study: Dental clinical activities not linked to higher COVID-19 risk

Data from a surveillance program at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine found dental clinical activities were not associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 when practitioners used standard personal protective equipment and participated in comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 surveillance testing, according to the Harvard Gazette. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, was conducted between August 2020 and February 2022. "Our study found that the overall asymptomatic test positivity rate remained low at 0.27 percent," said Sung Choi, Ph.D., an instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology and an author of the study. "Being involved in [dental] clinical activities did not increase the risk of COVID-19; while individuals involved in clinical activities performed a higher number of tests per week on average, test positivity rate remained lower than non-clinical individuals, ensuring safety of both patients and practitioners at clinical settings."