Özet:

COVID-19 pandemic is a problem that closely concerns oral and maxillofacial surgery. The aim of this review is to guide healthcare workers by providing a perspective on the maintenance of oral and maxillofacial surgery patients during pandemic. The keywords of coronavirus disease, COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), transmission, pandemic, oral surgery, personal protective equipment were searched on electronic databases (Google Academic, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Turkish Ministry of Health), until 11 July 2020. Literature search was conducted in English and Turkish languages. Health care workers accounted for 1/3 of the cases in China in the early period of the pandemic. It was necessary to postpone many elective procedures and give priority to emergency treatments in oral and maxillofacial surgery applications in our country and in the world. Healthcare providers should quickly identify emergency response procedures during outbreak. Thus, excessive load and waste of resources on the health system can be prevented. Infection control policies should be determined to prevent cross infections between inpatients and outpatients. The capacity of COVID-19 to spread rapidly through droplets necessitates the correct use of personal protective equipment. It is necessary to avoid the aerosol-generating procedures, but if these procedures are necessary, isolation of the environment should be provided. It is important that the guides used in the management of the problems that may be unique to oral and maxillofacial surgery do not conflict with the applications of other disciplines. Each healthcare institution should create flexible models that it can implement within its own means, in the transition period to elective procedures. Necessary policies should be used for the continuity of personal protective equipment. During the epidemic, collaborations should be established between different health institutions. Negative pressure rooms are recommended in elective surgeries. When planning elective surgeries during the gradual reopening process, short-term treatments should be considered against the possibility of a second wave. Every effort should be made to perform elective surgical procedures without causing any transmissions.

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