Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 6

“Provincial numbers reflect different timing for a return to routine oral health services,” says Valentine. “Some provinces loosened restrictions much earlier than others, because their COVID-19 cases were very low. In other places, most notably in northern Canada, travel restrictions impacted the ability of dentists to visit remote communities.” The numbers of claims have climbed consistently since COVID-19 restrictions were loosened starting in May. “These categories varied in July due to dentists working through a backlog of patients who couldn’t be treated during lockdown,” says Valentine. “Restrictions or changes in PPE requirements likely caused part of the decline in preventative care in July, though the backlog of patients with more urgent needs may also have displaced some of the patients who would have come in for routine care.” 10 | 2020 | Issue 6