Table 1.

The important events of global public health and One Health, and the specific actions of Taiwan’s dental community for One Health issue.

Year	The important events of global public health and One Health, and the specific actions of Taiwan’s dental community for One Health issue
A. The important events of global public health and One Health
2002	Between November 2002 and September 2003, the epidemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in 29 countries and regions. Taiwan was also one of the countries hit by SARS.
2004	The Wildlife Conservation Society brought together a group of human and animal health experts for a symposium at Rockefeller University in New York City in 2004. The symposium set 12 priorities to combat health threats to human and animal health. These priorities, known as the “Manhattan Principles”, called for an international, interdisciplinary approach to prevent disease and formed the basis of the “One Health, One World” concept.
2007	The International Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza was held in New Delhi India 2007. The governments were encouraged to further develop the One Health concept by building linkages between human and animal health systems for pandemic preparedness and human security.
2008	The Food and Agriculture organization (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the United Nations System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC) came together to develop a document titled “Contributing to the “One Health, One World”- A Strategic Framework for Reducing Risks of Infectious Diseases at the Animal-Human-Ecosystems Interface.
2009	The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Emerging Pandemic Threats Program to ensure a coordinated, comprehensive international effort to prevent the emergence of diseases of animal origin that could threaten human health.
2010	The 2010 International Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. At the conclusion of the meeting, participants unanimously adopted the “Hanoi Declaration”, which called for focused action at the animal-human-ecosystem interface and recommended broad implementation of One Health.
2011	The first International One Health Congress was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2011. In addition to understanding the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health, attendees agreed that it is important to include other disciplines such as economics, social behavior, and food safety and security.
2012	The first One Health Summit was held in Davos, Switzerland in 2012. The Summit presented the One Health concept as a way to manage health threats, focusing on food safety and security.
2012	The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first reported from a pneumonia patient in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Until 2015, MERS-CoV cases have occurred in 25 countries around the world.
2019	The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease was first reported in China at the end of 2019. Subsequently, COVID-19 cases were reported in many countries around the world in early 2020, gradually turning into a global pandemic.
B. The specific actions of Taiwan’s dental community for the One Health issue
2003	Taiwan was one of the countries affected by the SARS outbreak. The Taiwan government, medical system and people gained experience in dealing with this highly contagious disease during the outbreak. As for oral medical workers who face high risks, Taiwan’s dental community has formulated various SARS prevention measures for oral medical workers.
2004	Under the total budget system of National Health Insurance (NHI), the Taiwan government began to plan the “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Infection Control in Dental Outpatient Clinics” and formulate the “Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Infection Control in Dental Institutions”.
2005	The Taiwan NHI has begun to implement the “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Infection Control in Dental Outpatient Clinics” in 2005. Under the total budget system of NHI, dental institutions conduct self-inspections to confirm that the infection control hardware and software (equipment and operating procedures) meet the standards and declare independently. The NHI gives dental institutions 30 NHI points per patient’s dental visit to cover the dental infection control cost. This measure was first implemented on a trial basis in July 2004. This may be the first system in the world for subsidizing the dental infection control cost to dental institutions through an independent management mechanism under the insurance system.
2007	Taiwan implemented a continuing education system for dentists in 2003, and this system added a requirement in 2007 that continuing education courses should include courses of infection control.
2013	The requirements for the “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Infection Control in Dental Outpatient Clinics” were increased by referring to the standards of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
2013	The dental infection control cost of NHI increased to 40 NHI points per patient’s dental visit.
2015	After more than a year of research, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released the first official version of the “Guidelines on Dental Infection Control Measures” in 2015.
2015	Starting from 2015, medical institutions that fail to implement the “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Infection Control in Dental Outpatient Clinics” and fail to report monthly dental outpatient consultation fees that comply with this plan for infection control will not be issued quality assurance retention funds (annual additional bonus).
2015	The dental infection control cost of NHI increased to 55 NHI points per patient’s dental visit.
2016	Based on the “Guidelines on Dental Infection Control Measures”, a new version of the “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Infection Control in Dental Outpatient Clinics” was revised and designed. At this time, dental infection control in Taiwan has officially entered a new era and stage under the official guidelines.
2016	The dental infection control cost of NHI increased to 83 NHI points per patient’s dental visit.
2018	Due to the medical service cost index growth and budget adjustment of NHI system, the dental infection control cost of NHI increased to 90 NHI points per patient’s dental visit.
2020	The Taiwan’s dental community adopted contingency measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as follow. 1)Dentists strengthen inquiries about the patient’s detailed systemic medical history, infectious disease history, and TOCC (Travel, Occupation, Contact, and Cluster) before dental treatment. 2)Dentists, nursing staff, and dental assistants need to wear personal protective equipment, including at least masks, gloves, and clean overalls, as well as wear isolation gowns, hair caps, masks or goggles as needed. 3)According to the situation, dentists adjust the process and reduce dental splash and aerosol during dental treatment (such as the use of air-water syringes, ultrasonic scalers, or high-speed tooth grinding handpieces). 4)When community infection breaks out, non-urgent dental treatment will be postponed.
2020	The Taiwan CDC formulated “Guidelines on Dental Infection Control Measures in response to the COVID-19” in 2020.
2020	In conjunction with the comprehensive improvement of the quality of dental infection control, the dental infection control cost of NHI increased to 125 NHI points per patient’s dental visit.
2021	At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, more than 10 million people received dental services with nearly 40 million visits, and no one contracted the disease due to dental treatment procedures. The Taiwan’s dental community continued to implement infection control to respond to various emerging infectious diseases and to ensure the safety of people seeking for dental treatment.
2023	The dental infection control cost of NHI increased to 132 NHI points per patient’s dental visit.