Provision of Endodontic Treatment in Dentistry amid COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Clinical Recommendations

Table 3

An overview of recommendations on endodontic interventions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

S. no.	Title	Type of study	Outcome of paper	Author (year/country)
1	To drill or not to drill: management of endodontic emergencies and in-process patients during the COVID-19 pandemic	Clinical research	(i) Out of 21 patients (with complaints of 25 teeth) at a follow-up rate of 96%, 83% received palliative care and required no further endodontic treatment; (ii) With 31 teeth receiving partial/full root canal treatment in a mean time of 13 weeks, at a recall rate of 100%, 77% did not show any adverse effects of the delay	Patel et al. (March 2020/Texas, USA) [22]
2	Recommendations for managing endodontic emergencies during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak	Review article	(i) Minimal aerosol production procedures, with 4-handed dentistry, are recommended; (ii) Use of preprocedural antiseptic mouth rinses, rubber dam, and sterile burs for access preparation; (iii) Dentists should wear personal protective equipment with face shields	Silva et al. (May 2020/USA) [23]
3	Clinical endodontic management during the COVID-19 pandemic: a literature review and clinical recommendations	Review article	(i) If flu-like symptoms persist/or the patient came in contact with the positive case, then defer the treatment; (ii) The patient should come alone and gargle with 0.5-1% hydrogen peroxide before initiating treatment	Azim et al. (2020/New York, USA) [24]
4	COVID-19 transmission risk and protective protocols in dentistry: a systematic review	Systematic review	(i) Before, during, and after the treatment, guidelines are to be followed as per standard operating procedures; (ii) Patients to be appointed as per space in the waiting area; (iii) Defer treatment of nonurgent procedures; (iv) Proper disinfection of the clinic along with soap and water	Banakar et al. (2020/Iran) [27]
5	Differences in endodontic management by endodontists and general dental practitioners in COVID-19 times	Original article	(i) Initial screening was practiced better by the general dental practitioners (GDPs) as compared to endodontists; (ii) The use of rubber dam and pulpectomy procedures were practiced more by endodontists; (iii) Use of antibiotics/analgesics and pulpotomy procedures were followed by GDPs more as compared to endodontists	Ates et al. (2020/Jordan) [25]
6	Dental care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak: operatory considerations and clinical aspects	Review article	(i) Treatment of asymptomatic patients was to be delayed; (ii) Symptomatic treatment of patients was to be carried out depending on the main complaint, minimizing the procedure time and following proper standard operating procedures	Abramovitz et al. (2020/USA) [26]