USA dentists prepare to return to work
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- Published: Thursday, 30 April 2020 19:24
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Various States in the USA have indicated that they are considering easing restrictions on dentists carrying out routine treatment. The American Dental Association has developed a toolkit to help dentists return to more normal practice operations as some states reopen. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association want to make sure hygienists have access to the necessary protective gear if their offices do reopen.
One State that has announced that its dentists will be able to resume routine dental care is North Dakota. This will give dentists the option of opening their practices beyond the emergency cases they’ve been treating while suspending routine dental care during the coronavirus crisis.
“North Dakota dentists will be back to work May 1,” said William Sherwin, executive director of the North Dakota Dental Association, which represents dentists. “What we’re seeing is the importance of routine care. Delaying this care is actually causing harm to some patients,” he said.
The move comes as state officials are preparing to ease restrictions on “high-contact” businesses, such as barbershops, hair salons, tattoo parlours, fitness centres, bars and restaurants on Friday.
The dental association is drawing upon recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Dental Association and a state task force of its members as well as oral surgeons, Sherwin said. “All of our member dentists have been thinking, planning and preparing about what will be our ‘new normal’ for providing dental care in our state,” he wrote to the board, adding that safety is dentists’ top priority.”
American Dental Association toolkit
The Return to Work Interim Guidance Toolkit focuses on the short-term management of dental practices and includes a sample "welcome back" letter to patients, pre-appointment screening guidance, in-office patient registration procedures, reception area preparation strategies, a chairside checklist, staff protection strategies and a supplies shopping list.
"Our goal was to provide a basic road map for members to follow that would allow them to safely reopen their offices," said Dr. Kirk M. Norbo, co-chair of the task force.
The ADA created the task force to help develop general tools to support dentists as they return to providing nonemergency care after closures and practice restrictions related to COVID-19 are lifted. Because areas of the country will return to practice at different times and under different circumstances, dentists will need to use their own professional judgment and consider COVID-19 cases in their area, the needs of their patients and the availability of necessary supplies as they begin to provide elective dental care again, according to the guidance toolkit.
The toolkit also includes interim guidance previously released by the ADA on the personal protective equipment recommended to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and minimize the risk of virus transmission, as well as a chart that highlights the characteristics of several common types of masks and their appropriate uses.
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