News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2020/08/05

Whitehorse dentists booked up after COVID-19 restrictions, communities wait for clinics. cbc.ca, August 4: Dentists are working non-stop to treat a backlog of patients after COVID-19 restrictions lifted last month, says the Yukon Dental Association. But people outside Whitehorse still have to wait for the territory's sole travelling dentist to visit their communities. Read more

CDHO Guidance - New Documents. cdho.org, July 31: The CDHO just published two new guidance documents on its website: College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO) Guidance on the Extended Use of N95 Respirators/Masks During a Supply Shortage and College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO) Guidance on Isolation Gowns. Read more

Pandemic Threatens to Deepen Disparities in Dental Health. usnews.com, August 4: A virus that’s hit African Americans and Latinos hard is also highlighting racial disparities in oral health. Read more

Illinois State Dental Society: Illinois Patients, Public Health Greatly Benefit from Dental Care During COVID-19 Pandemic. riverbender.com, August 4: As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause great concern and uncertainty around Illinois, dental offices are reopening and seeing patients with a clear message: your safety is our No. 1 priority as we work to improve your health. Read more

Poor oral care may affect the accuracy of COVID-19 tests. labpulse.com, Aug 4: Failing to maintain good oral hygiene may result in clinically recovered COVID-19 patients continuing to test positive for the novel coronavirus for longer periods of time, according to a study published on July 24 in Special Care in Dentistry. Read more

Covid-19: Dental hygienists 'frightened' about safety. bbc.com, August 3: Dental hygienists in Northern Ireland have said they are frightened and worried about their future. The society that represents them said its members have experienced reduced hours and struggle to obtain personal protective equipment. Read more

Opinion: Preserve dental benefits for our most vulnerable citizens. seattletimes.com, August 3: COVID‑19 has wreaked havoc on our state’s budget. Once again, dental care for poor adults is on the chopping block. Eliminating dental benefits for adults using Medicaid will not solve our budget problems — and will lead to more unnecessary suffering. Read more

COVID-19 outbreaks reported at 2 dental offices in Colorado Springs. kktv.com, August 4: Two Colorado Springs dental offices have reported COVID-19 outbreaks, according to data provided by El Paso County Public Health. Read more

HHS extends Provider Relief Fund deadline. ada.org, August 1: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced it is extending the deadline to Aug. 28 for all dentists to apply for funding through the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal. The ADA had advocated for HHS to extend the deadline and was pleased to learn the department agreed. Read more

ADA weighs in on HEALS Act – Proposed COVID-19 stimulus legislation contains critical tax provisions, improves PPP loans. ada.org. July 31: As Congress works on the next COVID-19 legislative package, the American Dental Association is urging lawmakers to continue providing relief to dental practices facing economic burdens in the wake of the pandemic. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, August 5: Physical distancing, mask-wearing could be in place for 2-3 years even with vaccine, Tam warns. Record number of companies have sought creditor protection under COVID-19 — and more are on the way. COVID Alert app could result in some people being ID'd. Australia's Victoria state enacts strict lockdowns to curb coronavirus spread. India reports over 50,000 new cases for an eighth straight day. Read more

Canada inks deals with Pfizer, Moderna for coronavirus vaccine candidates. globalnews.ca, August 5: The Canadian government has signed new deals with pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and Moderna to secure millions of doses in 2021 of the coronavirus vaccine candidates currently in development by each. Read more

China spat may be threatening Canada's bid to get early access to leading COVID-19 vaccine: experts. nationalpost.com, August 4: Samples of the vaccine candidate have not been approved for shipment to Canada by Chinese customs, one of the researchers confirmed Tuesday. Read more

Even if there's a vaccine, pandemic may persist for years to come: Tam. ctvnews.ca, August 4: ...While some heads of major pharmaceutical companies have said a vaccine could be ready before the end of the year, other experts have cautioned that even 2021 may be an unrealistic timetable. Now, Canada’s leading health officials are saying even that estimate may be too optimistic. Read more

COVID-19: Three-in-five worry about side-effects of a vaccine; many plan to take a ‘wait and see’ approach. angusreid.org, August 4: ...The latest data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians largely unified in intention to be vaccinated but divided over how soon they’d avail themselves of the dose. Read more

Public health agency plans to convince Canadians to get COVID-19 vaccine. ipolitics.ca, August 4: …An agency spokesperson confirmed to iPolitics last week that PHAC has just started “planning for future publication efforts” in anticipation of a successful vaccine. ... Governments in Canada don’t have the legal authority to force vaccination in Canada — at least in a way that experts say wouldn’t be subject to a court challenge — meaning that messaging and public education are bound to be relied upon in a mass vaccination effort. Read more

Made-in-Canada vaccine passes animal testing hurdle, seeks government funding. ctvnews.ca, August 5: A Canadian drugmaker says it has produced “compelling” early results from animal testing of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, but the government hasn’t responded to its application for funding that would allow it to advance to human clinical trials. Read more

COVID Alert app a help even if it works only on newer phones: Tam. ctvnews.ca, August 4: …Critics say that will leave out poorer and older Canadians, who are more likely to use older devices and suffer worse effects from the virus. Tam said she's heard that criticism and understands it, but the app isn't supposed to be a comprehensive solution to the pandemic. Read more

New study suggests a tiny fraction of Ontario has been infected with COVID-19: cbc.ca, August 4: Experts, looking at numbers, say actual case count likely 4 times higher than reported. Read more

B.C. lays out COVID-19 guidelines for colleges, universities in advance of fall session. cbc.ca, July 31: All 25 of B.C.'s post-secondary institutions are expected to adopt the guidelines. Read more

Rollout of COVID Alert app faces criticism over accessibility. cbc.ca, August 03: The federal government's COVID-19 exposure notification app is facing criticism for its download requirements, which restrict some Canadians from accessing and using the app. ...  the app requires users to have Apple or Android phones made in the last five years, and a relatively new operating system. Christopher Parsons, a senior research associate at Citizen Lab, part of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Policy, says that makes the app inaccessible for older Canadians and other marginalized groups who are often the most affected by the pandemic, including Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour and those from lower socio-economic brackets. Read more

Most Canadians support second lockdown if COVID-19 caseloads spike. richmond-news.com, August 4: The survey also probed respondents on their views around wearing masks in public, on the return to school in the fall and anxiety over. Read more

Feds keep lid on company names, dollar amounts in some COVID-19 contracts. nationalpost.com, August 3: The federal Liberals have given companies more than $5.8 billion in pandemic-related contracts for personal protective gear and medical supplies. ... Public Services and Procurement Canada’s updated page on its COVID-19 response efforts said the government needs to keep details private to protect Ottawa’s ability to obtain certain items that countries around the world are scrambling to purchase. Read more

Ottawa extends commercial rent relief program, known as CECRA, into August. cbc.ca, July 31: The federal government has extended Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA), its rent subsidy program to support small businesses, by another month. There are calls for rent relief to be extended well into the fall, expanded for more businesses to qualify and modified to allow tenants to apply for themselves, instead of counting on landlords. Read more

EI-like benefit for gig, contract workers will be available after CERB ends, Trudeau says. cbc.ca, July 31: The federal government plans to move out-of-work Canadians into the employment insurance system when a key emergency benefit runs out in the fall, and provide an EI-like support for millions who can't qualify under existing rules. The change signals a potentially sweeping overhaul to the decades-old social safety net criticized in recent years for not keeping up with a modern labour force marked by increasing contract and gig work. Read more

As opioid-related deaths in Yukon double, officials say COVID-19 pandemic is amplifying the crisis. cbc.ca, July 31: The Yukon government says it has plans to step up its response to the opioid crisis, following an uptick in the number of deaths related to the drug so far this year. Read more

COVID-19: Don’t make university students choose between education and legal rights. theconversation.com, August 3 [OPINION]: When U.S. President Donald Trump held a rally earlier this summer in Tulsa, Okla., expecting thousands of supporters to gather in close quarters, he had them all sign COVID-19 liability waivers. This meant they couldn’t hold him or his campaign responsible if they contracted COVID-19 at the event. At the time, we were amused by the irony, but COVID-19 waivers are becoming commonplace. The city of Halifax has one for its summer camps, as do Saskatchewan 4-H clubs and some dental clinics and yoga studios. Several American universities make students sign waivers before participating in sports. There’s every reason to think that if or when students return to campuses in the fall, Canadian universities will seek to limit their legal risk. We urge them not to. Read more

The Canada-U.S. border could be closed for months. Here's what you need to know now. cbc.ca, August 2: It came as no surprise to many people when the federal government announced last month that the Canada-U.S. land border — which closed on March 21 to non-essential traffic — would remain shut until at least Aug. 21. Canadians can still fly to the U.S., but that rule isn't reciprocal: Canada prohibits U.S. visitors from entering via all modes of transport. Read more

Discovery of mechanism behind HIV infections could also hold key to COVID-19: U of A researchers. folio.ca, July 30: New understanding leads researchers to try a new class of drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. Read more

Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports. who.int, August 4: Situation report – 197. Read more

Small aerosol droplets could penetrate PPE, scientists warn. irishnews.com, August 4: ...A team of researchers … created a mathematical model that separated how small, medium and large aerosol droplets were dispersed through the air. The study, published in the journal Physics of Fluids on Tuesday, found that both large and small droplets travelled further than medium-sized ones. Read more

Mental disorders affect more than half of COVID-19 survivors: study. ctvnews.ca, August 4: An alarming new study suggests that the majority of people who recover from COVID-19 suffer from at least one mental disorder a month after treatment, raising serious concerns about lingering psychological effects of the virus. Read more

Johnson & Johnson forges vaccine pact with U.S. government. bnnbloomberg.ca, August 5: ...The drugmaker said in a statement on Wednesday that it had entered into an agreement with the U.S. government for the large scale domestic manufacturing and delivery in the U.S. of 100 million doses of its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit’s SARS-CoV-2 investigational vaccine. Read more

The raging competition for medical supplies is not a game, but game theory can help. theconversation.com, August 4: The world continues to reel from the pandemic and, among many other things, the shortage of medical supplies that has resulted. Yes, the world has experienced natural disasters, but they are typically limited in time duration and location. The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the globe for many months. Read more

WHO warns there may never be a COVID-19 'silver bullet'. ctvnews.ca, August 3: The World Health Organization said Monday it had completed the groundwork in China to probe the origins of the new coronavirus -- as it warned there might never be a "silver bullet" for COVID-19. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged governments and citizens to focus on known basic steps to suppress the pandemic, such as testing, contact tracing, maintaining physical distance and wearing a mask. Read more

Covid testing and contact tracing key for safely reopening schools, two new studies suggest. cnn.com, August 3: Covid testing and contact tracing key for safely reopening schools, two new studies suggest. ... Both studies, published in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health on Monday, aim to help inform global discussions around reopening schools. Read more

Clorox won’t have enough disinfecting wipes until 2021, CEO Benno Dorer says. theglobeandmail.com, August 4: Grocery shelves won’t be fully stocked with Clorox’s disinfecting wipes until next year, the company CEO stated as the world’s biggest cleaning products maker struggles with overwhelming pandemic-led demand for its top product. Since the start of global lockdowns, makers of hygiene goods have seen a sustained boom in sales. It has been unable to keep up with a six-fold increase in demand for many of its disinfectants. Read more

Mexico now has 3rd most coronavirus deaths, as Vietnam struggles with new outbreak. globalnews.ca, August 1: Mexico now has the third most COVID-19 deaths in the world, behind Brazil and the United States, where a hurricane bearing down on the East Coast on Saturday is threatening to complicate efforts to contain the virus. Read more

Vaccine project contract raises transparency questions. politico.com, July 31: Executives with pharma ties are exempt from disclosing conflicts. The Trump administration is hiring consultants with drug industry ties to steer its effort to find a coronavirus vaccine under a contract that allows them to avoid disclosing potential conflicts of interest. Read more

Opinion: Big Pharma Shouldn’t Be Too Greedy. bloomberg.ca, August 2: We should all hope the tradition of treating intellectual property as a real thing survives the pandemic. That hope must be especially keen among the companies most at risk if the myth breaks down: the pharma industry. Read more

Family struggling since closure of dental clinic at Michener Centre. rdnewsnow.com, August 5: The mother and of two adult handicapped sons in Red Deer is expressing anger over the closure of the dental clinic at Michener Centre and the devastating impact it’s having on her family. Read more

Funding: Youth vaping problem nets research dollars. schulich.uwo.ca, August 5: Vaping among teenaged Canadians has doubled in the past two years – a troubling trend that three Western researchers will examine in depth with new funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR.) The researchers are working to understand the rapid rise of vaping in Canada and measure its health effects. Read more

P.E.I. Lung Association says social media is the next frontier in vaping battle. cbc.ca, August 3: The P.E.I. Lung Association is concerned influencers will drive youth to try vaping despite new advertising regulations. Read more

New Canadian clinical guidelines first to include chapter on weight stigma. globalnews.ca, August 4: For the first time, Canadian Clinical Practical Guidelines for adult obesity management will include a chapter on weight bias and stigma. Read more

Trends and correlates of cannabis use in Canada: a repeated cross-sectional analysis of national surveys from 2004 to 2017. cmajopen.ca, July 31: Cannabis is the most widely used drug in Canada. We [authors] examined the trends in past-year cannabis consumption by sociodemographic and geographic characteristics. Read more

Fellow Ralph Crawford has died. icd-canada.org, July 20: Canadian Dentistry and the ICD Canadian Section have lost one of the giants of Dentistry. Read more

ADA FDC Virtual Connect Conference to bring dental community together while apart. ada.org, August 4: The live and on-demand experience, scheduled for Oct. 15-17, will provide learning, networking and business opportunities for attendees and exhibitors in a flexible and safe setting. Registration opens online Aug. 12. Read more

American Board of Orofacial Pain applies to be recognized as national certifying board for new specialty. ada.org, August 4: ...If approved by the National Commission, the American Board of Orofacial Pain would become recognized as the national certifying board that administers the board certification examination certifying qualified dentists as diplomats in the specialty of orofacial pain. Read more

British Dental Association members targeted by hackers. bbc.com, August 4: Dental patient case notes and dentists' bank details are feared to have been stolen in a hacking attack. The British Dental Association has admitted to its members that it is still not sure exactly what was accessed in the breach on 30 July. Read more

EFP publishes first international consensus guidelines for periodontitis treatment. eu.dental-tribune.com, August 3: In 2018, the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) released a new global classification system for periodontal health, diseases and conditions—the outcome of a joint workshop held by the EFP and the American Academy of Periodontology the previous year. Following up on this, the EFP has now released an evidence-based treatment guide for periodontitis, with the aim of improving periodontal treatment throughout Europe and beyond. 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