Managing dental public health challenges during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

As of July 10, 2020, there have been more than 12.1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), including 551,046 deaths reported globally from 213 countries/regions according to World Health Organization (WHO). A novel type of coronavirus appeared in Wuhan, China in late December of 2019. WHO announced COVID-19 earlier as public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and a few days later as pandemic. In dental practice, protecting patients and personnel during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is challenging and any possible cross-infection can be prevented by the successful use of the personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensuring strict infection prevention and control measures. To discover the impact of SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious diseases on oral health, this is an opportunity to initiate and engage in scientific research projects.