ROLE OF THE DENTAL SURGEON IN THE ICU AGAINST COVID-19

Abstract

The epidemic of a new coronavirus (Covid-19), started in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019 and has become a major public health problem, a challenging problem that has rapidly spread around the world, causing numerous deaths, leaving many patients hospitalized in Intensive Care Units (ICU) for extended periods and submitted to Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (IMV), causing complications throughout the oral cavity, making the recovery of these patients even more difficult. Hospital units usually have dental services composed of different specialties, which together provide tools for the care or treatment of the oral cavity, with the dentist being the professional responsible for evaluating the different clinical situations. Due to this importance, the work aimed to discuss the role of the dentist in the ICU in the face of Covid-19, carrying out a bibliographic research on academic bases. It was possible to conclude that the Covid-19 pandemic further highlighted the importance of dentistry in ICUs through actions in the care of hospitalized patients, reducing the risks and injuries (oral management) associated with hospitalizations.