Due to the ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus, all UBC Continuing Dental Education April courses have been postponed. Participants who have registered for April courses have already been contacted by our office via email. If you are registered for an April course and have not received an update from CDE, please email cdeconf@dentistry.ubc.ca. Further … Read more
The B.C. Dental Hygienists Association is concerned dentists in the province are ignoring advice and continuing to operate regular service, despite the novel coronavirus pandemic. Andrea Burton, executive director of the association, says there are some hygienists being told they will get fired if they don’t show up to work. “They are being threatened by … Read more
Message to Ontario Dentists We’ve heard concerns from the public about dentists not respecting Public Health advice about self-isolation following travel or attendance at the Pacific Dental Conference. Who should self-isolate? Anyone who is directed to do so by their healthcare provider or by Public Health. Ontario Public Health has directed individuals to self-isolate for … Read more
The province’s chief medical health officer says optional dental work will not be banned in Saskatchewan, despite the province having declared a state of emergency and suspended all optional hospital medical procedures. Some experts and dentists had asked chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab to take action and were furious to hear that he will not. “Oh … Read more
The ADA provided its members and their patients detailed guidance on March 18 on what to consider dental emergencies and nonemergency dental care as part of an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and alleviate the burden on hospital and emergency departments. The guide is meant to provide additional guidance following an Association recommendation that … Read more
The AAE announced several recommended considerations to its 8,000-plus endodontist and dentist members amid COVID-19. The announcement came at a time when other dental organizations revealed similar recommendations regarding dental care and emergency vs. non-emergency treatment. “Given the rapid and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the responsibility of everyone – health care … Read more
A dental conference in Vancouver may have been the site of COVID-19 exposure earlier this month, local health authorities are warning. Vancouver Coastal Health said Thursday that a person who attended the Pacific Dental Conference on March 6 recently tested positive for COVID-19. The person is now recovering at home, VCH says, and there is … Read more
Stewart and Stewart Dental Practice in Lanarkshire is closing temporarily after NHS Lanarkshire confirmed a coronavirus case at the practice. The practice is contacting patients who have been to visit the practice since confirming the case. Glasgow Live reports that the practice is informing all staff and given public health advice. ‘We want to reassure all … Read more
The B.C. Dental Hygienists Association is warning its members could be laid off, and dental visits cancelled, if a medical mask shortage caused by COVID-19 fears continues to grow. The hygienists’ concerns are echoed by their employers — the dentists of the province, represented by the B.C. Dental Association — and fellow health care professionals. … Read more
As the global number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, scientists are grappling with numerous questions about the novel coronavirus. Many of these questions concern the ways in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted: “How does the virus spread?” “How long does it survive on surfaces?” “Which disinfectants can kill the virus?” Since the first … Read more
Dentists and GPs say “critically low levels” of vital surgical supplies such as face masks – brought on by frenzied buying amid the coronavirus outbreak – might force them to shut practices. The Australian Dental Association said practices across the nation were expected to run out of masks within four weeks, because of the extraordinary … Read more
The American Dental Association has released an informational handout for dentists on the coronavirus disease, now named COVID-19. The handout covers strategies for helping prevent the transmission of suspected respiratory disease in the dental health care setting and answers frequently asked questions related to the virus, based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients with an … Read more
A dentist and researcher is working at the University of Saskatchewan to develop a test to detect the corona virus, now known as COVID-19, in saliva. Walter Siqueira, who is also the associate dean of the College of Dentistry, said he is hoping this test will provide a quick way to identify the rapidly spreading … Read more
Following guidance from Singapore’s Ministry of Health and to address the concerns of all stakeholders about holding IDEM in April 2020, Koelnmesse and the Singapore Dental Association, the co-organisers of IDEM 2020, will postpone the event to Friday – Sunday, 19 – 21 June 2020. “The health of all IDEM participants is of great importance … Read more
The Ontario Ministry of Health says it’s working with manufacturers of medical masks to address shortage concerns expressed by dentists in light of the new coronavirus outbreak, according to a memo sent to the provincial regulator for dentistry. In the note sent to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) last week, the … Read more
The Hainan provincial health commission has suspended all stomatology departments and dental clinics to prevent risks amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Hospitals and clinics will only retain necessary dentofacial surgery staff to deal with emergency situations such as wounds and infections, the commission said in a notice. Other diagnoses and treatments have all been suspended. … Read more
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “public health emergency of international concern”, meaning that it considers the emergence of novel coronavirus “an extraordinary event” posing a “public health risk … through the international spread of disease”. The WHO’s unsettling announcement arrived the same week the first few cases of Coronavirus … Read more