COVID-19 Information for Dental Patients

According to the WHO, the main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing. The risk of catching COVID-19 from someone with no symptoms at all is very low. However, many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. This is particularly true at the early stages of the disease. It is therefore possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not feel ill.  WHO is assessing ongoing research on the period of transmission of COVID-19 and will continue to share updated findings.

According to the WHO, people can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 2 meters (6 feet) away from other people.

WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share updated findings here.

Dental patients who have the following symptoms or respiratory illness should not go to the dentist:

• Fever, cough or acute respiratory illness (with or without pneumonia)
  OR
• Traveled outside of Canada within 14 days prior to onset of symptoms
  OR
• Close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19
  OR
• Other potentially relevant exposure such as close contact with someone who was ill and had traveled outside of Canada in the 14 days before the onset of symptoms.

If you meet any of the criteria above, please contact your dentist to be assessed by phone and please contact HealthlinkBC at 8-1-1 to be assessed for testing, and/or call ahead to your primary health care provider or walk-in clinic and arrange for assessment by medical staff.