Living and working in a pandemic has thrown the entire business world for a loop. Not only did we have to keep ourselves safe from the COVID-19 virus, we also had to maintain optimum health and safety standards for our family of patients. But, after donning more personal protective equipment (PPE) than we thought possible, there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. We are proud to report that a June 2020 study by the American Dental Association (ADA) found COVID-19 rate among dentists less than 1%.
According to the (ADA), fewer than 1% of dentists nationwide were estimated to be COVID-19 positive as of June 2020, according to an American Dental Association Science & Research Institute and Health Policy Institute study.
“Estimating COVID-19 Prevalence and Infection Control Practices Among US Dentists,” is the first large-scale collection and publication of U.S. dentists’ infection rates and infection control practices related to COVID-19, according to the ADA.
In June 2020, U.S. dentists practicing primarily in public health and private practice were invited to participate in a web survey covering questions related to COVID-19-associated symptoms, COVID-19 infection, infection control procedures used in their primary dental practice, and mental and physical health conditions.
Of the 2,195 dentists who responded to the survey, 20 had a confirmed or probable COVID-19 infection, meaning that 0.9% were estimated to have a confirmed or probable COVID-19 infection, with a margin of error of 0.5%.
“This is very good news for dentists and patients,” said Dr. Marcelo Araujo, Ph.D., CEO of the ADASRI, chief science officer of the ADA and senior author of the report. “This means that what dentists are doing — heightened infection control and increased attention to patient and dental team safety — is working.”
At the Spodak Dental Group, we take the health and safety of our patients very seriously. Since reopening our office in mid-2020, we’ve added additional protocols and personal protective equipment to elevate our safety standards to the next level. Every team clinical team member wears protective eyewear, gloves, masks and long-sleeved protective clothing and face shields, and all operatories are sanitized in between patients.
Patients can expect:
• Sterile treatment rooms,
• COVID-related questions to be asked several times throughout the booking and confirming process,
• All team members to wear personal protective equipment, including masks, gloves and face shields,
• Temperature checks upon entering the bilding, and
• Disinfecting protocols in place, including UVC air filtration systems and the use of high-grade cleaning products.
The team is also asking all patients COVID-related questions three times before his/her appointment, and screening all patients prior to entering the building. Additionally, a thermal scanner is used on all team members and patients who enter the building, and anyone with a temperature higher than 99.5 degrees is asked to reschedule his/her appointment.
UVC air filtration systems have also been installed, allowing for all air that circulates to be exposed to UVC light, which actually kills any germs or bacteria that can cause people to get sick. There are also nightly disinfecting protocols in place, including the use of a high-grade cleaning product and a fogger, which has been proven by the CDC to kill the COVID-19 virus.
“The fact that dentistry was named one of the most at-risk professions for infection, but has a far lower prevalence of infection compared to other health professions, is not a coincidence,” said Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., chief economist and vice president of the ADA Health Policy Institute. “The profession has taken this issue extremely seriously, and it shows. We will continue to track the rate of COVID-19 among dentists and other facets of the pandemic affecting dentistry so it can help inform the dental profession and other industries as well.”
The Spodak Dental Group is proud to be a part of the solution and not the problem, and remains committed to the safety and well-being of all team members and patients. If you’re ready to schedule an appointment to ensure your dental health is still on track, please call/text us at (561) 303-2413 or schedule an appointment today!
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