On April 23, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Health Commissioner Steven Stack, MD, outlined guidelines for allowing non-urgent healthcare services to resume in the state, including dental offices, according to local CBS affiliate WLKY.
The state will allow dental offices to re-open with "enhanced protections," that include wearing surgical and procedural masks and limiting the number of people in the building. Visitors will not be allowed in most situations and the practices will need to coordinate an alternative to waiting rooms. In some cases, patients may wait in their vehicles instead of the building.
Dr. Stack also gave guidance around having employers screen for temperatures when new people enter the building and develop a plan for workplace sanitation. There are stricter guidelines for high-touch settings.
The guidelines mean dental offices may need to wait several weeks before re-opening, according to an ABC report. Dental practices still need to meet the Kentucky Board of Dentistry and Department for Public Health guidelines to have the proper equipment before re-opening, which means acquiring N95 masks.
Dental practices have additional considerations because performing dental services and procedures often means spraying saliva particles into the air.
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