The ADA requested that the CDC quickly provide guidance on how to safely reopen dental practices during the deceleration phase of the pandemic.
The American Dental Association is asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to “quickly provide guidance on how to safely reopen dental practices during the deceleration phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.”
The CDC’s April 7 interim guidance recommended dentists postpone all non-essential dental visits during the acceleration phase of the pandemic. That guidance was updated on April 27.
While the April 27 guidance is still applicable for those parts of the country where COVID-19 infection rates are accelerating or peaking, ADA President Chad P. Gehani, DDS, and ADA Executive Director Kathleen T. O’Loughlin, DMD, MPH, point out in a letter dated May 6 to Robert R. Redfield, MD, director of the CDC, that new or revised guidelines are needed for those parts of the country where infection rates are now declining—and the risk of acquiring or transmitting the virus is very low.
“We respectfully ask the CDC to update its guidance to address how to protect dental personnel returning to work during the deceleration phase of COVID-19,” write Gehani and O’Loughlin. “Such guidance will give states the confidence to permit the safe reopening of dental offices and enable patients to access essential dental care.”
