Dentists struggling to offer 'Healthy Smiles Ontario' program due to PPE costs, social distancing rules. omny.fm. July 15: Interview with Dr. David Stevenson, Dentist and Chair of the Ontario Dental Association Return to Practice Working Group. Listen 6:33
COVID‐19 pandemic: Students' perspectives on dental geriatric care and education. medicalhealthnews.net, July 15: ...This study aimed at exploring the extent to which third‐ and fourth‐year undergraduate dental students critically considered the impact of COVID‐19 on education and the practice of dental geriatrics. Read more
Hamilton company debuts mobile mask sanitizing unit. thespec.com, July 14: ...With the ability to travel, Kalra said the unit can now be deployed to any location that requires employees to wear N95 masks while on the job. That could include meat processing facilities, factories as well as dentist offices and optometrists, he added. Read more
Some Cornwall and area dental clinics charging for PPE. standard-freeholder.com, July 14: Some businesses have started passing up the cost of personal protective equipment on clients, and some clients of dental clinics are not happy about paying the new fees. ... The Canadian Dental Association, which represents Canada’s 18,000 dentists, provided an update to its COVID-19 report noting many dentists feel the need to add a PPE charge to their patient’s bills. Read more
PPE costs puts free dental program for kids at risk. toronto.citynews.ca, July 13: Additional costs of personal protective equipment (PPE) has led to some dentists spending more to treat patients. This in turn is making it difficult for them to afford to treat patients under the Healthy Smiles Ontario (HSO) program. Read more
Going to the dentist is safe during pandemic – Clinics are following ministry's public health guidelines, says Dr. Kal Khaled. mississauga.com, July 10: While some media sources have unnecessarily amplified the risks of such visits, it’s important to note that these messages are unfounded. The Ontario Alliance of Dentists has been concerned about this confusion because it means that many people are foregoing necessary, preventive teeth cleaning and maintenance, or worse, that they are avoiding emergency treatments, too. Read more
Some San Antonio dental practices requiring COVID-19 testing for some procedures. ksat.com, July 14: At UT Health San Antonio’s dental practice, protocols involve screening patients over the phone before their dental appointment for COVID-19 symptoms and even testing for the virus if needed. Read more
Sound Bites: Dentistry during the pandemic. chronicleonline.com, July 13: Dentists are, and have always been, accustomed to high levels of infection control in their offices. In fact, we have been using sterilizers and disinfectant sprays, as well as disposable barriers, for decades. Read more
Dental patients paying extra for PPE as supplies run thin. cbsnews.com, July 13: A dental appointment looks a lot different these days with dentists covered from head to toe to protect themselves and their patients from COVID-19. But with supplies thin, all that gear comes at a high cost -- and you could end up paying an extra fee on your next trip to the dentist's office. Read more
ADA, coalition urges Congress for $4.5 billion investment in public health infrastructure. ada.org, July 13: The Association joined a coalition of more than 250 organizations in urging Congress to include a significant, long-term investment in the public health infrastructure as it considers new legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Dentists are sweating under three layers of face protection to get patients back. miamiherald.com, July 11: Dr. Norberto Camacho says he’s drenched in sweat and yearning for oxygen after every shift at his dental practice. Read more
Scotland ‘faces dental health disaster’ as NHS practices stuck in lockdown. scotsman.com, July 13: Scotland’s dental profession is in a “state of disarray” as a result of confused government coronavirus guidelines, with NHS dentists warning of a “severe drop in the oral health” of Scots if they are not allowed to conduct routine treatment soon. Read more
Will dentistry survive a financial crash? dentistry.co.uk, July 10: With the COVID-19 lockdown regulations easing and dental practices commencing a phased reopening, plans can be made to return to something like normality over the coming weeks. John Clarke looks into what the financial legacy from the pandemic will be on dentistry. Read more
HHS opens Provider Relief Fund to dentists. ada.org, July 10: Dentists who were previously ineligible for relief can now apply to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Provider Relief Fund. Read more
Carolina’s robust teledentistry service is a ‘bold move forward’ for oral health. unc.edu. July 9: The Adams School of Dentistry is providing a way for patients to manage dental care from the comfort of their homes during the pandemic and helping eliminate the burden of dental emergencies on emergency departments. Read more
Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, July 15: Manitoba premier calls on federal government to redesign CERB program. Senate committee recommends improvements to COVID-19 emergency programs. Canada-U.S. border closure extended into August, officials say. Read more
Federal COVID-19 response needs improvement. sencanada.ca, July 14: The federal government should return the power to approve spending to Parliament and provide quarterly fiscal and economic updates for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate Committee on National Finance said in an interim report released Tuesday. The committee has been studying the government’s response to the pandemic and its economic consequences. Read more
U of T tests show Canadian-made mask deactivates 99% of SARS-CoV-2 virus. utoronto.ca, July 14: An antimicrobial coating developed by Quebec company I3 BioMedical Inc. can deactivate more than 99 per cent of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – on the outer surface of medical masks, tests carried out by University of Toronto scientists have shown. Read more
Drug shortages threaten the lives of our most at-risk patients. thestar.com, July 14 [OPINION]: As a potential second wave of the infected looms, we are deeply concerned that ongoing drug shortages are imperiling the lives of our most at-risk patients. ... we believe the government must commit to ensuring more transparency by curating a list of the most critical medications and stocking them in the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile. Read more
Most Canadians support shutdowns over 2nd coronavirus wave: Ipsos poll. globalnews.ca, July 15: The survey, conducted by Ipsos for exclusively Global News between July 8 and July 10, found 77 per cent of Canadians anticipate there will be a second wave of the novel coronavirus, despite efforts to stem its spread. Read more and watch 3:09
At least 26 flights have arrived in Canada with COVID-19 cases in last two weeks. ctvnews.ca, July 14: ...According to the federal government, COVID-19 cases have been reported among passengers on 10 domestic flights and 16 international flights since June 29. Read more
Ryerson’s National Institute on Ageing pushes for change in care of seniors. ryerson.ca, July 14: 7,000 COVID-19 deaths in Canadian long-term care facilities highlights urgency of NIA mission. Read more
Private mobile lab offering blood testing services for COVID-19 antibodies. lakelandtoday.ca, July 14: A Calgary-based private mobile lab company is offering blood testing to detect antibodies associated with COVID-19... Alberta’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said Tuesday that anyone paying for a private antibody test should do some research. Read more
Feds to extend wage subsidy program until December. ctvnews.ca, July 13: The Liberal government will extend the wage subsidy program until December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday. This marks the second extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). Read more
Today’s coronavirus news: Pearson Airport eliminating around 500 jobs; Human clinical trials begin for Quebec-made COVID-19 vaccine candidate. thestar.com, July 14: The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. Read more
Federal COVID-19 response needs improvement. sencanada.ca, July 14: The federal government should return the power to approve spending to Parliament and provide quarterly fiscal and economic updates for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate Committee on National Finance said in an interim report released Tuesday. Read more
Human clinical trials begin for Quebec-made coronavirus vaccine candidate, but CEO urges caution. cbc.ca, July 14: Canadian trials have just begun for a prospective coronavirus vaccine, but its Quebec-based manufacturer is already downplaying its potential impact. Read more
Richmond Hill firm develops rapid COVID-19 test to get results in less than five minutes. yorkregion.com, July 14: The test…will be able to detect proteins of the new coronavirus from a nasal swab sample in less than five minutes with 95 per cent accuracy, according to Laipac. Read more
Potential COVID-19 vaccine approved for human trial in Canada is stuck in China. ctvnews.ca, July 13: …as was first reported by iPolitics, not a single shipment of the vaccine candidate has arrived in the country. A spokesman for Health Canada told CTVNews.ca on Monday that Chinese authorities have yet to sign off on sending the potential vaccine here. Read more
Starting Saturday, masks will be mandatory in Quebec's indoor public spaces. montrealgazette.com, July 13: Premier François Legault on Monday announced that masks will soon be mandatory in Quebec’s indoor public spaces, but he drew criticism for ordering businesses to enforce the measure. Read more
Manitoba goes 13 straight days without a new COVID-19 case, but caution still urged. winnipeg.ctvnews.ca, July 13: Manitoba has had 325 cases since early March. There is currently one active case in Manitoba, and 317 people have recovered from the virus. Read more
Much of Ontario heading into Stage 3 of COVID-19 reopening plan this Friday. cbc.ca, July 13: Large swath of Ontario will move to Stage 3 on July 17 with exception of Greater Toronto Area. Read more
Online platform launched by U of T researchers helps businesses, charities obtain COVID-19 protective gear. utoronto.ca, July 13: So Krass and his colleagues at Rotman created a free online platform – CovidPPEHelp – to connect suppliers and consumers of PPE in order to better match supply with demand, remove barriers and create transparency in the supply chain. Read more
COMMENTARY: ‘Vaccine nationalism’ could threaten Canada’s access to a COVID-19 vaccine. globalnews.ca, July 12 [By Joel Lexchin, University of Toronto]: ...It certainly doesn’t seem that “we’re all in this together” — it’s looking more and more like a dog-eat-dog world. Read more
The great PPE panic: How the pandemic caught Canada with its stockpiles down. cbc.ca, July 11: This is the fourth in a series of articles looking at some of the lessons learned from the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic and how Canada moves forward. Read more
Canada adds health officials at U.S. border crossings to screen for COVID-19. cbc.ca, July 13: As the volume of travellers entering Canada through the U.S. has increased in recent weeks, public health officials are being placed at land borders to bolster screening for COVID-19. Read more
St. Francis Xavier University wants students to sign COVID-19 liability waiver. cbc.ca, July 13: Students at a Nova Scotia university must sign a COVID-19 liability waiver in order to attend classes in the fall. Read more
Expert warns return to lockdown conditions a 'possibility' in B.C. bc.ctvnews.ca, July 11: A UBC expert says there is a possibility B.C. could return to lockdown conditions if COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise. In the past week, the number of new cases has increased steadily. Read more
Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports. who.int, July 14: Situation report - 176. Read more
Vaccine-makers’ ‘no profit’ pledge stirs doubts in Congress. politico.com, July 13: Some of the pharmaceutical companies developing Covid-19 vaccine candidates have pledged to not take a profit. But neither the companies nor the U.S. government bankrolling a great deal of the vaccine research has defined precisely what forgoing a profit means or how long that will last. And that’s feeding skepticism and uncertainty among industry watchers and doubts in Congress about who will end up paying what could be a very large tab. Read more
U.S. hospitals sending coronavirus data to Washington instead of CDC. ctvnews.ca, July 15: Hospital data on coronavirus patients will now be rerouted to the Trump administration instead of first being sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed. Read more
Big Pharma Exec Says Lawmakers Touting Vaccine By Year's End Doing ‘Grave Disservice’. huffingtonpost.ca, July 15: The CEO of one of America’s largest pharmaceutical companies issued a bleak warning about the prospect of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus by the end of the year, saying lawmakers touting the possibility were doing a “grave disservice to the public.” Read more
First data for Moderna Covid-19 vaccine show it spurs an immune response. statnews.com, July 14: Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine led patients to produce antibodies that can neutralize the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, though it caused minor side effects in many patients, according to the first published data from an early-stage trial of the experimental shot. Moderna had previously released some results in a press release, but many experts said they were not sufficient to draw many conclusions. Read more
Global vaccine plan may allow rich countries to buy more. thestar.com, July 14: Politicians and public health leaders have publicly committed to equitably sharing any coronavirus vaccine that works, but the top global initiative to make that happen may allow rich countries to reinforce their own stockpiles while making fewer doses available for poor ones. Read more
Who cares about coronavirus? How different generations are dealing with the pandemic. globalnews.ca, July 13: Americans older than 60 years of age are more likely than people aged 18 to 34 to take precautionary measures when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19, research has found. Read more
WHO boss slams ‘mixed messages’ from leaders on coronavirus. thestar.com, July 13: The World Health Organization’s chief on Monday slammed some government leaders for eroding public trust by sending mixed messages on the coronavirus and warned that their failures to stop their countries’ spiraling outbreaks mean there would be no return to normal “for the foreseeable future.” Read more
Virus immunity may disappear within months: study. ctvnews.ca, July 13: Patients who recover from coronavirus infections may lose their immunity to reinfection within months. Read more
Global coronavirus cases rise above 13 million, WHO sounds alarm. ca.reuters.com, July 13: Coronavirus infections rose above 13 million across the world on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, climbing by one million in just five days in a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people. Read more
Pfizer, BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine candidates get FDA's 'fast track' status. reuters.com, July 13: Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE said on Monday two of their experimental coronavirus vaccines received ‘fast track’ designation from the U.S. health agency, speeding up the regulatory review process. Read more
Russia Completes Human Trials Of Covid-19 Vaccine. forbes.com, July 13: After Brazil was the first emerging market to get a test drive of the Oxford University coronavirus vaccine, its Russia that is the first to complete human trials. Read more
Full coronavirus vaccine unlikely by next year: expert. ctvnews.ca, July 12: There is little chance of a 100-per cent effective coronavirus vaccine by 2021, a French expert warned Sunday, urging people to take social distancing measures more seriously. Read more
Why it may be harder to catch COVID-19 from surfaces than we first thought. cbc.ca, July 11 [Second Opinion]: Lack of evidence for infection from surfaces raises doubts about transmission. Read more
Low-income dental program improving the lives of seniors in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga. bramptonguardian.com, July 15: The Region of Peel’s dental program for low-income seniors is transitioning to a new provincially-funded program. We wanted to find out what kind of impact the program has had on seniors and if the transition to the new model would leave some seniors without dental care services. Read more
Maxim Software Systems (MaxiDent) to Integrate CDA Secure Send in Practice Management Software. oralhealthgroup.com, July 13 [by MaxiDent]: Maxim Software Systems (MaxiDent), through close collaboration with the Canadian Dental Association (CDA), is integrating the CDA Secure Send service platform into its practice management suite effective immediately. Read more
‘It’s a death trap’: Families horrified by lack of air conditioning in long-term care homes. globalnews.ca, July 13: ...Ford vowed last Wednesday to make air conditioning mandatory in long-term care homes but stopped short of providing an exact timeline. Read more
Providing rural, remote dental care. educationnewscanada.com, July 13: For these individuals, visiting a dentist is harder than most could ever imagine, due mainly to the fact that the closest dentist is at minimum a seven-hour drive away, and in some cases, individuals need to plan an overnight trip just to receive oral health care. This is something the College of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan is trying to change. Read more
AADR Statement on Administration’s Decision to Rescind Ice Policy Barring International Students Taking Online Courses. iadr.org, July 14: The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is pleased to learn of the administration’s decision to walk back a new policy that would have required international students taking classes exclusively online courses in the fall 2020 semester to transfer or leave the country. Read more
Dentists call to stop the rot in older Australians’ oral health. bitemagazine.com, July 15: A number of recommendations are to be presented by the Australian Dental Association NSW Branch (to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety this Thursday—the aim being to help curb the widespread and unacceptable neglect of older Australians’ oral care. Read more
Medicated toothpaste may soon be a new way to take your daily prescription. news.wbfo.org, July 13: University at Buffalo Dental School researchers have figured out a way to take routine medications and turn them into particles so tiny, they can be mixed with toothpaste. Read more
Bipartisan Support for Dental Therapy Grows. communitycatalyst.org, July 13: Dental therapy got a boost last week when the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force released its policy recommendations, which include authorizing dental therapists. Read more
Juul launches legal fight against black market vaping cartridges. bnnbloomberg.ca, July 13: …The vaping company filed a patent-infringement complaint at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, naming more than four dozen companies it says are importing copycat cartridges for the e-cigarettes. Read more
UK tobacco sales fell faster after plain packaging rules came into force. theguardian.com, July 13: Cigarette sales have decreased by about 20m a month after plain packaging rules and tougher taxes were introduced three years ago, researchers have found. Read more
Google, Amazon, J&J Join WHO to Fight Covid-Era Smoking. Bloomberg.com, July 10: In a rare tie-up with the private sector, the WHO is launching with its partners a program that includes nicotine patches and artificial-intelligence-fueled support to tackle both the physical and mental obstacles to quitting at once. Read more
Dalhousie University – Current course offerings
McGill University – Continuing dental education
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry University – Continuing professional development
Université Laval – Formation continue
University of Manitoba – Continuing professional development
Université de Montréal – Formation dentaire continue
University of Alberta – Program and courses
University of British Columbia – Calendar of courses
University of Saskatchewan – Continuing professional dental education
University of Toronto – Continuing dental education
Please let us know about upcoming continuing education meetings that could be of interest to Canadian dentists by emailing us at oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca
We invite you to send us leads to news stories worth sharing oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca.