06.05.2020.

Croatian dentists introduce new standards for protection against Covid-19 virus

Croatian dental clinics have always paid special attention to disinfection and sterilisation. In line with the current Corona virus situation, new additional standards for the protection of patients and staff have been introduced.

Already when it comes to patients' booking a visit, special attention is paid to the scheduling of patients and dentists in order to make one or two patients wait in accordance with Ministry of Health recommendations. Waiting rooms are regularly disinfected and ventilated while the reception staff is situated behind a Plexiglas counter in a separate area. Some Croatian dentists, like Kalmar Implant Dentistry, Komadina Dental Studio and others, have provided waiting areas and stay on outdoor terraces.
Doctors and support staff are protected by disposable scrubs, gloves, prescribed masks covering their airways, goggles and a full-face plexiglass mask. After visiting each patient, disposable equipment is properly discarded and masks are replaced and sterilised to prevent patient-patient or doctor-patient drip contact. Laboratory or diagnostic centre staff is provided with the same equipment.
After each patient visit, all work surfaces are disinfected and all instruments are sterilised separately at high temperatures and then packed into the intended packaging and stored in separate dental cabinets. Monitoring protocols and proper sterilisation and disinfection prevent the transmission of any micro-organisms.
Some larger clinics with proper conditions have introduced water and air filtration throughout the clinic and have therefore further reduced any risk to their patients' health. Regardless of all precautions in dental clinics, patients must adhere to the prescribed measures of hand disinfection, and adhere to the prescribed social distancing and contact rules.