News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2020/08/12
A quarter of Canadians skipped the dentist this year. citynews1130.com, Aug 11: A new poll by Research Co. says that 1-in-4 Canadians didn’t visit their dentist this year. Kier Junos reports on how the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected personal dental care costs. Watch 1:56
Canadians might want to brush up on dental hygiene, poll suggests. princegeorgematters.com, Aug 10: ...Research Co. and Glacier Media recently had a conversation with Canadians about dental health and found that we are lacking in two areas: a proper assessment of what is going on inside our mouths and a lack of discipline to take care of ourselves. Read more
P.E.I. catching up on elective surgeries delayed by pandemic. cbc.ca, Aug 11: 48% of backlog now cleared, province's top nurse says. ... In late May, Health Minister told the legislature that a total of 1,120 surgeries had been delayed because of COVID-19. Those included: 26 oral/dental surgeries. Read more
Oral health at risk as strict COVID rules halt dental visits to remote communities, dentists say. nnsl.com, Aug 10: Dentists across the NWT are concerned about the state of oral health in remote communities as strict COVID regulations have halted their travelling appointments for regular dental care. Most communities outside Yellowknife lack dental clinics and depend on fly-in dentists for regular dental procedures. Read more
Delay routine dental checkups, WHO urges, until COVID risk is known. nationalpost.com, Aug 11 (10 similar stories published): Dental patients and staff need to be protected from any potential infection by aerosol-generating procedures, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, as dentists return to work in areas where the COVID-19 pandemic is easing. Read more
Soins dentaires: l'OMS déconseille les soins générateurs d'aérosols. tvanouvelles.ca, 11 août : Inquiète de l'impact du COVID-19 sur les soins dentaires à travers le monde, l'Organisation mondiale de la santé a édicté quelques principes à destination des professionnels pour «minimiser» les risques de transmission. Lire plus
ADA Board of Trustees: Dentistry is essential health care. ada.org, Aug 10: The American Dental Association Board of Trustees has adopted an ad interim policy stating dentistry is essential health care to help guide advocacy for the dental profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Considerations for the provision of essential oral health services in the context of COVID‑19. who.int, Aug 3: The purpose of this document is to address specific needs and considerations for essential oral health services in the context of COVID-19 in accordance with WHO operational guidance on maintaining essential health services. Read more
Tackling aerosols and splatter during dental treatments. expresshealhcare.in [OPINION]: COVID-19 just turned up out of the blue. While dentists addressed certain patient issues via tele dentistry and home remedies were recommended, dental care is generally less feasible to online support than regular health care. Read more
HPI: 99% of dental practices were open mid-July. ada.org, Aug 11: Webinar discusses dentists returning to work. Read more
5 Top Self Care Tips for Dentists Dealing with Stress. oralhealthgroup.com, Aug 10: There are high levels of stress and burnout in the dentistry profession, with a huge number of dentists feeling that the stress of their job is beyond their ability to cope. Top 5 self-care tips: Read more
Safety won't be compromised for vaccine, Canada's top doctors say. ctvnews.ca, Aug 11: The chief public health officer says Canada will not cut corners to get a vaccine for COVID-19 approved. Dr. Theresa Tam says she has full confidence in Health Canada's process to approve a vaccine…she is cautiously optimistic that will happen soon. Read more
Coronavirus: What's happening around in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, Aug 12: Read more
More than 500 COVID-19 infections in Canada linked to exposures at public places, new data suggests. ctvnews.ca, Aug 10: New data suggests that more than 500 COVID-19 infections in Canada have been linked to public venues. Read more
Ontario mining company 1st to try new mobile test that diagnoses COVID-19 in as little as an hour. cbc.ca, Aug 11: A new rapid, mobile COVID-19 test could help workplaces efficiently test employees and keep the virus out. The New Gold mine in Rainy River, Ont., is testing out the system and is the first Canadian employer to screen employees on-site. Read more
Testing, tracing and distancing key to prevent COVID-19 resurgence, new models show. ctvnews.ca, Aug 10: Keeping the novel coronavirus at bay will require many more months of physical distancing, ramped-up testing and contact tracing, quarantining and workplace and community closures to handle outbreaks, says a new report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Read more
Can researchers find a way to run thousands of COVID tests at once? Local team is trying. thetorontostar.ca, Aug 10: The goal: To run upwards of 10,000 COVID-19 tests daily by repurposing an existing 'ultra-high-throughput" next generation genome sequencing platform. Read more
How Canada can better embed randomized trials into clinical care. cmaj.ca, Aug 10: In an impressive scientific and organizational feat, researchers, health care workers and patients in the United Kingdom rapidly generated evidence that has transformed the care of patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) worldwide. Read more
Passengers with COVID-19 keep arriving in Canada on international flights. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Aug 10: Eighteen flights arriving in Canada from international destinations since the start of August have had people on board with COVID-19. Read more
Ontario doctor subject of complaints after COVID-19 tweets. cbc.ca, Aug 10: Ontario pediatrician is the subject of complaints from fellow doctors who accuse her of spreading misinformation about COVID-19 on Twitter. Doctor says she is being defamed and censored. Read more
Coronavirus: Brantford General Hospital declares COVID-19 outbreak. Globalnews.ca, Aug 10: On Sunday afternoon, Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) revealed the flare-up on Facebook and said the emergency unit of the facility was affected. Read more
More Nova Scotia parents consider home-schooling amid pandemic. cbc.ca, Aug 10: With less than a month to go before the first school bell rings, some parents in Nova Scotia are still on the fence about sending their kids back to class and considering home-schooling instead. Read more
Plan to reopen schools based on flawed data. thestar.com, Aug 10: Ontario’s school reopening plan relies on a document produced by SickKids, one part of which reviewed the evidence that children may not transmit the COVID-19 virus as readily as adults. Read more
Ontario just went 7 straight days with less than 100 COVID-19 cases. Now what? cbc.ca, Aug 10: Ontario marked a significant achievement in its COVID-19 fight this past week. In each of the last seven days, the province has recorded fewer than 100 cases of the novel coronavirus. While this may be seen as cause for celebration, medical experts say people should not forget that COVID-19 is still very much around. Read more
Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports. who.int, Aug 11: Situation report - 204. Read more
Live updates: Florida and Georgia set new single-day records for coronavirus deaths. washingtonpost.com, Aug 12: Read more
Study: Youths who vape, smoke over 5 times more likely to contract coronavirus. thehill.com, Aug 11: Young people who smoke or use electronic cigarettes are more than five times more likely to contract coronavirus, according to a study published Tuesday by the Stanford University School of Medicine. Read more
Coronavirus: Russia calls international concern over vaccine 'groundless'. bbc.com, Aug 12: Russia has dismissed mounting international concern over the safety of its locally developed Covid-19 vaccine as "absolutely groundless". Read more
COVID-19 antiviral pill to be tested in long-term care facilities. mcnights.com, Aug 11: The Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for a phase 2 trial of favipiravir, an oral RNA antiviral, as a COVID-19 treatment in long-term care settings. Developer says it will test the drug’s efficacy and safety in controlling outbreaks following COVID-19 exposure. It is planning to enroll up to 760 eldercare facility staff members and residents across the United States and Canada. Read more
Winter is coming: Why America’s window of opportunity to beat back Covid-19 is closing. statnews.com, Aug 10: Winter means cold and flu season, which is all but sure to complicate the task of figuring out who is sick with Covid-19 and who is suffering from a less threatening respiratory tract infection. It also means that cherished outdoor freedoms that link us to pre-Covid life will soon be out of reach, at least in northern parts of the country. Read more
Industry body calls Russian COVID-19 vaccine a Pandora’s box. nationalpost.com, Aug 10: Scores of Russia's business and political elite have already been given access to the experimental vaccine as early as April, according to people familiar with the effort. Russia’s race to allow civilian use of a potential coronavirus vaccine before clinical trials are complete could put people at risk. Read more
Coronavirus breaks out again in New Zealand after 102 days. ctvnews.ca, Aug 11: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days. Read more
5 Things That Could Go Wrong With A Coronavirus Vaccine. forbes, Aug 10: According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, a coronavirus vaccine could be ready for distribution within months. “We feel cautiously optimistic that we will have a vaccine by the end of this year and as we go into 2021,” he told lawmakers on July 31, adding, “the plans now allow for any American who needs a vaccine to get it within the year 2021.” Read more
Greater demand for flu shots expected, but Canadians concerned about how they will get immunized safely. pharmacists.ca, Aug 11: Pharmacists share concerns over vaccine, PPE availability and patient safety as they gear up for fall flu season. Read more
Medicom Mask Production Facility in Montreal Opens in Record Time. newswire.ca, Aug 11: The new production facility was announced in March and the Montreal site was confirmed in April. Read more
An extra $2,000 a month helped young people struggling during COVID-19. Now we need to support them with a guaranteed livable income. thestar.com, Aug 12 [OPINION]: Ask youth what they would do with an extra $2,000 a month and the answers might surprise you. Read more
Shoppers Drug Mart is getting into the business of running walk-in clinics in Toronto. thestar.com, Aug 12: ...There are already clinics in Shoppers locations across the country, but those are all tenant clinics, with Shoppers basically acting as those clinics’ landlord. Read more
UBCO [University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus] researchers link advertising to uptick in youth vaping. eurekalert.org, Aug 10: E-cigarette companies know how to target their products. Read more
Cannabis use in pregnancy linked to a greater risk of autism. medicalxpress.com, Aug 10: In the largest study of its kind, Ottawa researchers found that children whose mothers reported using cannabis during pregnancy were at greater risk of autism. Read more
We need culturally appropriate health care for Black Canadians. cbc.ca, Aug 10: As Black health advocates with a range of experience in health policy, health coaching and meaningful engagement with African-Canadian communities, we know all too well that anti-Black racism impacts all areas of life for people of African descent living in Canada. Read more
Potential changes to the Health Professions Act would threaten self-regulation, AMA says. edmontonjournal.com, Aug 10: In a discussion document sent to organizations including the AMA and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), the government lays out 17 possible changes to be discussed including potential new government-led approaches to registering professionals and dealing with complaints. Read more
How your dental health can affect your job prospects. asiaone.com, Aug 12: What’s in a smile? More importantly, just how much does the condition of our teeth affect our employment prospects? Read more
As E-Cigarette Makers Face Critical September 9 Deadline, Leading Health Groups Urge FDA Not to Allow Sale of Any Flavored Products. lung.org, Aug 10: Health Groups Endorse Key Principles to Guide FDA Review of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products, Call for Rigorous Scientific Evidence and Prompt Removal of Products that Don’t Meet Deadline. Read more
U.S. dietary guidelines revamp recommends less alcohol. arkansasoline.com, Aug 10: …a committee of scientists that is helping to update the latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has taken a harder stance on alcohol. 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
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