KIU, Western Campus – The Uganda Dental Association (UDA) has issued guidelines to Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, among other stakeholders, regarding the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

The guidelines were issued in a letter dated 23rd March and signed by the President of UDA, Dr Ayub Twaha and Vice-President, Dr Muhammad Mbabali.

The guidelines direct all dental practitioners to only conduct emergency surgeries, thereby suspending other services like routine restorative works, routine orthodontic work, implant treatment, crowns and bridge works, complete and partial dentures and routine periodontal treatment.

They also require the KIU Teaching Hospital to install a temperature gun at the dental clinic’s point of entry, disinfect the waiting room, toilet surfaces and all door knobs, spray the work stations with 70% alcohol after treating every patient, use personal protection equipment, use antiseptic povidone iodine, hydrogen peroxide and chlorohexidine to swab and gurgle patients’ mouths and screen patients for COVID-19 signs before treatment.

Dr. Simon Peter Ekuru, a Senior Dental Surgeon at the KIU Teaching Hospital dental clinic, welcomed this development.

“We dental practitioners are at the greatest risk of contracting Coronavirus. So, we deserve the best protection we can get," Dr Ekuru said.

This comes at a time when most establishments in the country have put in place tight measures to safeguard their personnel against COVID-19.