Video narration
What should you do when a patient arrives for a routine dental procedure with a persistent cough? Don't dismiss it-and don't diagnose tuberculosis from a cough alone. Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and usually spreads when airborne particles are inhaled from infectious disease in the lungs or larynx. Here's the key distinction: latent TB means infection is present, but the person does not have transmissible active disease. Active TB in the lungs or larynx can spread, so the risk matters before you create aerosols. That changes your first move. Pause non-urgent aerosol-generating care. Take a focused history and arrange referral. Follow local infection-control guidance for precautions and timing. A cough is a warning sign, not a diagnosis. So, what do you do? Treat an unexplained persistent cough as a reason to assess for possible airborne TB before routine aerosol treatment-and choose safety first.