Continue temperature checks at practices after COVID-19

Temperature screenings of patients and dental teams should continue after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, according to a letter to the editor published on May 14 in the British Dental Journal.

The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme guidelines already recommend taking a patient's temperature when assessing the systemic involvement of dental infections, and it seems checking temperature would be an appropriate measure to continue after the pandemic, according to the author.

The guidelines fail to reference the use of a specific type of thermometer; however, tympanic infrared thermometers are accurate and less invasive and easier to disinfect than other types, the author noted.