Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 6

James Armstrong BSc, MBA, DMD president@cda-adc.ca TheNumbersAre In (and I’mCautiouslyOptimistic) The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of the Canadian Dental Association. T his summer, business recovery has been top of mind for most dentists. Which begs the question: how are we doing? Surveys of consumer confidence suggest that most Canadians plan to visit their dentists as usual in the coming year. The Dental Industry Association of Canada’s (DIAC) 2020 survey shows that although dentists are concerned about financial issues, many still have plans to add new operatories and purchase new equipment (p. 21). Here at CDA, our CDAnet and ITRANS Claim Service, with which most Canadian dentists transmit patient benefit claims online, offer a unique and rich source of data that shows us how we are collectively recovering from COVID restrictions. This data (fully anonymized from patient and dentist information) performs like a dashboard of sorts that provides information about what work dentists are doing (and how much) in different provinces and territories (p. 9). I’m excited that CDAnet and ITRANS, which were designed to make the administrative work at dental offices more secure and efficient, have the added benefit of providing data that we can use as a profession, not only to quantify our economic situation, but also to strategize our future initiatives. Some of this claims volume data reveals that in July, dentists across Canada submitted 93% of the claims that they did in July 2019. Considering that many of us were not practising for several months, this suggests a robust recovery. In July, dentist fees stated in claims for preventative care reached 92% what they were in July 2019. However, not all of the numbers are entirely rosy. Claims volumes don’t equate to gross production. In my province of BC, gross billings and production are lower than the national ITRANS claims volume might suggest. Anecdotally, it seems that many dentists are working longer hours to serve a smaller number of patients. There is also some speculation that the increased patient flow we’ve seen this summer may be a result of pent-up demand from patients we couldn’t see in the spring, which might mean a temporary increase that may not be sustained. As well, some patients may be visiting their dentists now because they aren’t sure if they will have their employee benefits later. As the weather gets colder and schools reopen, we will continue to experience flare- ups of COVID-19, or even a second wave. A flare-up may cause restrictions to dentistry in a specific community, while a second wave would likely necessitate larger-scale restrictions. Both of these possibilities could negatively impact the patients we treat, the volume of work we do and the type of procedures we provide. As a strategy professor, I appreciate that COVID-19 has created a seismic change in the external environment for all dentists. However, I am optimistic because many dentists are pivoting and bringing an experimental spirit to delivering oral health care in the newnormal. Although we can’t control the pandemic or the economy, dentists are finding that they can make changes in their practices to make themmore resilient going forward. Through associations, social media, study clubs, and other forums, dentists are sharing practical expertise in “what works” for them. An important, positive lesson the pandemic has taught us is the significance of collective action. If we work together, we can mitigate the impact of a global threat. CDA and your provincial and territorial dental associations are working collectively to help dentistry be stronger as we navigate change. From the President 7 Issue 6 | 2020 | CDA at W ork