Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 4

Dr. Lynn Tomkins president@cda-adc.ca Environmentally Sustainable Dentistry E arly in the pandemic, I stepped outside my apartment building in downtown Toronto, and instead of the hustle and bustle of city life, I heard only birdsong. It was a poignant and bittersweet moment in which our impact on the natural world was laid bare. Thinking about the pandemic makes me feel sorrow for the people we’ve lost and the hardship that it brought to so many. The difficult circumstances also had environmental implications. Lockdowns affected about 3 billion people. Global oil demand dropped by 435,000 barrels in the first three months of 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. Some industrial and economic activity was reduced and people travelled much less. One study suggested that carbon dioxide emissions in China decreased by 25% in early 2020. Another study in Ontario showed that fewer cars on the roads resulted in a historic low in nitrogen dioxide emissions. Though there were environmental upsides to the pandemic, there were also many downsides. It caused a significant increase in the amount of waste produced by health care, including dentistry. The environmental burden of infection prevention and control and enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) was a concern for dentists before COVID, and it is now even more pronounced. As a health care profession, I believe that dentistry has an ethical obligation to care for the natural environment on which human health depends. I know many dentists who have already taken steps to make their practices more environmentally sustainable. Many of us have already figured out ways to schedule dental care into fewer appointments to reduce the PPE we use or to see our patients virtually, both of which have positive environmental impacts. Community water fluoridation, prevention and conservative management all help reduce the amount of dentistry a person needs over their lifetime, which turns out to be an effective way to reduce the environmental impact of dentistry. There is also a great deal of potential to help the environment when we talk with our suppliers, when we consider where the energy we use comes from, or when and how we dispose of materials. Even how we get to and from the dental office can make a difference. The pandemic has shown us how effective virtual meetings can be. In organized dentistry, we need to carefully consider the environmental impact of travel when making decisions about where and how to hold meetings. There is value in the interactions we have in person, but we must balance that benefit against the carbon footprint of air travel. We need a strategic vision for environmental sustainability in dentistry that will set an example for the entire oral health care sector. FDI published a consensus statement on sustainable dentistry that provides global strategies and solutions (p. 20) ; we should localize them to the Canadian context. Our vision could be the foundation for developing realistic strategies and tactics that will help individual dentists in their practices make choices that support both the environment and their bottom line. It would also guide organized dentistry as we engage with governments and the dental industry on sustainability solutions. Environmental sustainability is a global effort, but I believe that Canadian dentists should be the leaders in sustainable oral health practises for the global profession. Amidst advocating for the oral health of our patients and working through the myriad of issues facing our profession, we also have an opportunity to make positive change that is good for dentists, good for patients, and good for the planet. From the President 7 Issue 4 | 2022 | CDA atWork