Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 4

(L. to r.) Dr. Rabie, Dhamia Al Ghonam, RDA, and Dr. Sylla Skaria at an event supporting community water fluoridation, held by Calgarians for Kids’ Health. COVID-19 Ramifications As in every other sphere of the dental profession, the events since March 2020 have presented a unique set of challenges for public health dentistry. The impact of having to limit dental care has fallen more heavily on the vulnerable populations than it has on the general population. While Dr. Rabie and her team were able to continue with teleconsultations during lockdown, she admits that reopening was a challenging time: “At that point, it was extractions upon extractions,” she says. “We had to pick and choose who we could see. In order to reduce aerosols, we weren’t even doing restorations.” On a positive note, Dr. Rabie believes that the pandemic has brought dentistry to the forefront of health care and helped to define its essential nature. It has also highlighted the importance of public dental health and raised many important questions, questions she hopes will lead to positive change in the future. “What exactly is essential care? And if dental treatment is essential care, then how do we manage payment for lower income populations? These are foundational questions that COVID is clarifying,” she says. “In Calgary, we have 250 people per year hospitalized because of dental infections. We should be able to address this better.” We will continue to focus on the people who have fallen through the cracks. Either by helping them navigate the system or by treating them directly in the clinics. She makes a compelling argument. And although nobody knows what policy change may come about as a result of COVID, Dr. Rabie is hopeful that things will improve for the populations she serves. And even if they don’t, you can be sure that this dentist will continue to do what she does best and do it with a smile on her face: “We will continue to focus on the people who have fallen through the cracks. Either by helping them navigate the system or by treating them directly in the clinics. To be able to take away somebody’s pain, it’s amazing. Almost sacred. I love being able to help.” Gabriel Fulcher is digital content editor for CDA Oasis. He is an Ottawa-based writer who specializes in medical, scientific and health‑related content. The original version of this article appeared on CDA Oasis: bit.ly/3xVy8BH I ssues and P eople 28 | 2021 | Issue 4