Two sides of the same coin in COVID-19: dental aerosol and medical aerosol

Abstract COVID-19 continues to be at the cusp of its transmission with bouts of second and third waves and the pandemic is yet far from over Data on medical aerosols in the literature are more robust unlike the limited data reported on the absolute risk of COVID-19 amongst dentist providers It is precarious to assume that dental care using protective shields involves limited exposure to the virus 1 A previous study2 on the mortality risk of 278 physicians revealed that 6% were dentists;thus, the burden imposed by COVID-19 on health workers is overwhelming, undeniable and should not be underestimated