Data sources Medline via PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Scielo and Google Scholar were searched without language restriction until 28 May 2020.Study selection Publications on the topic of biosafety measures before, during and after dental practice from observational studies, systematic reviews and literature reviews were included, while letters to the editor, individual opinions and books were excluded.Data extraction and synthesis The authors used a narrative review to describe the findings and grouped them into two categories: those considerations before dental care and those during dental consultation.Results The review was based on 43 publications. Of those, 23 were recent reviews, guidelines, protocols and recommendations from national and international organisations; three were COVID-related original studies and the remainder were pre-COVID publications on handpieces, surface contamination, ventilation, aerosols and airborne spread, ultrasonics, hand washing and dental pain management.Conclusions Patients should conform to COVID-19 screening protocols in order to receive dental care and follow all the procedures in place to prevent transmission while in the dental office.