The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) and provincial dental associations across Canada have worked diligently with government officials and regulatory bodies to help dental offices resume routine dental services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation is continuously being assessed. Complying with social distancing guidelines and keeping patients, dentists and the dental staff protected are top priorities.
Infection Control Procedures
In response to COVID-19, CDA's general guidance respects the need to socially distance and therefore modifies how patients will visit the dental office. These modifications include, but are not limited to:
- Modified approaches to dental care, such as completing pre-visit health assessments and telephone or virtual follow-ups with patients and assessing patient concerns and initial treatment planning over the phone or virtually; and
- Maintaining appropriate social distancing among staff and patients by scheduling patient visits to reduce the number of individuals in the office at a given time.
Potential Changes
As patients resume their regular dental care, they may notice other important changes, such as additional questions before their appointments, possible changes to the office including the waiting room, reception area or patient care areas, and staff wearing different personal protective equipment.
Resumption of Routine Dental Care
Dental offices across Canada are resuming routine dental care in accordance with the guidance of provincial health officers and provincial dental regulatory bodies. Your dentist will be able to provide information about any modifications to your care based on the directives from the provincial dental regulatory bodies.
For more details on taking care of your oral health, please visit Oral Health Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
McGill Researchers Publish Evidence to Support Safe Return to Clinical Practice
The Office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada (OCDOC) commissioned McGill University to draft a comprehensive knowledge product concerning key issues that inform the provision of oral health care by relevant providers in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The OCDOC convened a representative multidisciplinary knowledge-based group from the national oral health professional and federal government health domains. The group's role was to work collaboratively to generate a single high-level national expert document which Canada's oral health regulatory authorities may then choose to consult in developing consistent guidance for their respective registrants at the Provincial/Territorial level.
The report, titled, Evidence to support safe return to clinical practice by oral health professionals in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: A report prepared for the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada, is available to decision makers to carry out their respective responsibilities.
The document includes a comprehensive review of the literature concerning key issues that inform the provision of oral health care by relevant providers in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also serves as a roadmap to advance population-level oral health through health promotion, disease prevention and professional/technical guidance with an emphasis on vulnerable populations.
