News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2020/08/26

How dentistry has evolved in the age of COVID-19. globalnews.ca, Aug 26: Dentists have been forced to dramatically change the way they do business to keep themselves and their patients safe from COVID-19. Dentist Barry Dolman joins Global’s Laura Casella. Watch 4:24

McGill Researchers Publish Evidence to Support Safe Return to Clinical Practice. mcgill.ca, Aug 24: The report is a comprehensive review of the literature concerning key issues that inform the provision of oral health care by relevant providers in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on August 23, 2020. canada.ca, Aug 23: ...limiting the impact of COVID-19 means taking care of our broader health and wellbeing. This includes keeping up with routine medical appointments for essential preventative health services like vaccinations, cancer screening tests, and dental care, as well as the ongoing management of chronic diseases. Delaying essential medical visits can lead to bigger health problems down the road. Read more

Survey: Dental patients' attitudes have shifted in 5 key areas during COVID-19. dentistryiq.com, Aug 25: Among the findings: 64% now believe their dentist knows how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, up from 42% in April. Learn more in this interview with Dr. Frank Nia of the North American Dental Group. Read more

Polymers in water at dentist can prevent aerosol mists that spread germs. upi.com, Aug 25: Researchers say the addition of food-grade polymers to water solutions, such as polyacrylic acid, can prevent misting. Read more

ADA urges dental benefits industry to mitigate administrative inefficiencies. ada.org, Aug 25: The ADA sent a letter to dental benefit administrators Aug. 11 saying that administrative burdens and inefficiencies imposed on dental offices by third-party payers are unnecessarily increasing frustration for both patients and dentists, necessitating a need for change. Read more

Public dental waiting lists increase in coronavirus pandemic. bendigoadvertiser.com.au, Aug 26: The number of people on waiting lists for public dental care in Australia is expected to climb, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts the provision of services. In late March, dentists were told to cease any routine treatment and limit services to emergency and urgent care. Public dental services begin to offer routine care again in late May, but the second wave of coronavirus has seen a return to vital care only. Read more

More needs to be done to convince reluctant Canadians to get COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Tam says. ctvnews.ca, Aug 25: Dr. Theresa Tam was responding to a new survey by Statistics Canada that shows about one in seven Canadians are either somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s made available. Read more

Ottawa announces $82.5M to help Indigenous communities deal with COVID-19 mental health fallout. cbc.ca, Aug 25: The funding is aimed at expanding "culturally appropriate services" such as on the land, community-based programs, mental wellness teams, virtual counselling and substance use treatment services. Read more

Alberta’s chief medical officer advises against smoking and vaping in battle against COVID-19. globalnews.ca, Aug 24: Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is recommending Albertans who smoke or vape take measures to quit the habits to decrease the impact of a coronavirus infection. Read more

Made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine effort slowed by manufacturing delay. cbc.ca, Aug 23: VIDO-InterVac director says key ingredient needed for study is blocking progress on a path to approval. Read more

Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau team up to get N95 masks made in Ontario. thestar.com, Aug 21: … On Friday, Ford and Trudeau each announced more than $23 million in funding for 3M’s $70-million plan to manufacture the respirator masks in Brockville. Read more

Live updates: CDC says not all close contacts need to get tested after coronavirus exposure, alarming experts. washingtonpost.com, Aug 26: Experts are expressing concern about the change, noting that people without symptoms are responsible for a large share of transmissions. Read more

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Epidemiological Update. who.int, Aug 25: Global epidemiological situation: Over 1.7 million new COVID-19 cases and 39 000 new deaths were reported to WHO for the week ending 23 August, a 5% decrease in the number of cases and 12% decrease in the number of deaths compared to the previous week. A cumulative total of over 23 million cases and 800 000 deaths have been reported so far. Read more

The unequal scramble for coronavirus vaccines — by the numbers. nature.com, Aug 24 [News Explainer]: Wealthy countries have struck deals to buy more than two billion doses of coronavirus vaccine in a scramble that could leave limited supplies in the coming year. Read more

Two European patients re-infected with coronavirus. reuters.com, Aug 25: Two European patients are confirmed to have been re-infected with the coronavirus, raising concerns about people’s immunity to the virus as the world struggles to tame the pandemic. Read more

Scientists say Hong Kong man got coronavirus a second time. ctvnews.ca, Aug 24: ...Genetic tests revealed that a 33-year-old man returning to Hong Kong from a trip to Spain in mid-August had a different strain of the coronavirus than the one he'd previously been infected with in March. Read more

Seven-day virus disinfectant is cleared for American air jets. bnnbloomberg.ca, Aug 24: The Trump administration on Monday gave American Airlines Group Inc. emergency approval to deploy a new weapon against COVID-19: a surface coating that kills coronaviruses for as many as seven days. Read more

FDA announces emergency authorization of plasma treatment for COVID-19. axios.com, Aug 23: The authorization for plasma, which is safe but not yet proven to work on COVID-19, had been on hold after federal health officials intervened with the FDA last week and argued that the current data on the effectiveness of the treatment was too weak, the New York Times reported. Read more

Changes to RCDSO CT Scanner Program. rcdso.org, Aug 24: Council has approved a revised dental CT scanners by-law, with changes coming into effect midnight, October 31, 2020. Here are highlights of key changes to the College’s dental CT scanner program. Read more

Emergency department visits down 25% in early weeks of pandemic, report finds. cbc.ca, Aug 24: Avoiding emergency departments in initial weeks of the pandemic may have had serious consequences for some. Read more

A prolonged COVID-19 recovery – The Conference Board of Canada releases its Provincial Economic Outlook. conferenceboard.ca, Aug 24: ...Even with an economic rebound gathering steam in the third quarter, it will take until the end of 2021 for Canada’s economy to return to its pre-pandemic output. Read more

'No food category is immune': How the pandemic is causing rising grocery prices. ctvnews.ca, Aug 23: Canada’s food industry has been shaken by the global COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant increase in the food inflation rate across the country. Read more

Discussion on decriminalizing drugs should be considered in wake of opioid deaths: Tam. globalnews.ca, Aug 22: …Canada’s chief health officer suggested decriminalizing hard drugs should be discussed to address a spike in opioid overdose deaths, while Health Minister Patty Hajdu insisted decriminalization was not a “silver bullet” solution. Read more

Canada needs new approach to tackle worsening opioid crisis, study says. globalnews.ca, Aug 24: Canada needs a new approach to tackle its overdose crisis, says the lead author of a new study that highlights a prevalence of overdoses involving non-prescribed fentanyl and stimulants in British Columbia. Read more

Physician billing data reveal striking gender pay gap. cmajnews.com, Aug 21: An Ontario Medical Association (OMA) analysis has found a 15.6% unexplained pay gap between female and male physicians. The analysis, based on billings from doctors to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, accounted for years in practice, specialty, days worked, and other factors to make an “apples-to-apples” comparison. Read more

Pricing in commercial dental insurance and provider markets. onlinelibrary.wiley.com, Aug 26: Dental provider markets are substantially less concentrated than insurance markets, which may limit the ability of dentists to garner higher reimbursement. Read more

Santé bucco-dentaire : l'UFSBD s’inquiète de la mode des dentifrices sans fluor. santemagazine.fr, 26 août : Opter pour un dentifrice sans fluor serait “une perte de chance” pour la santé bucco-dentaire selon l’Union Française pour la Santé Bucco-Dentaire (UFSBD). Celle-ci déplore la multiplication de ces dentifrices et alerte quant au risque de caries. Lire plus

New oral health objectives added to national 10-year plan for improving health of Americans. cda.org, Aug 24: …Now in its fifth iteration, Healthy People [2030]…provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. … A total of 355 measurable objectives make up Healthy People 2030. Among them are 14 oral health care-specific objectives. Read more

Vaping injuries more difficult to diagnose during time of COVID-19 pandemic, new study finds. medicalxpress.com, Aug 25: Diagnosing respiratory illness associated with vaping has always been challenging. But add the current COVID-19 pandemic to the mix and it becomes extremely difficult since both illnesses share many symptoms. Read more

Pharma Rivals Are Fighting Covid Together. Why Stop There? bloomberg.ca, Aug 24 [OPINION]: Much of what’s happening represents a war-time type response to a unique situation, and it may not be repeated. These are for-profit companies, after all, and they will act accordingly. But from an unprecedented vaccine hunt to international manufacturing deals, the drug industry's response shows the possibilities of what a more collaborative medicine market could bring. Read more

ADASRI staff develop new technique for testing fracture toughness of zirconia. ada.org, Aug 24: Researchers use focused ion beam milling to create tiny, sharp starter. Read more

Robotic surgery improves outcomes for patients with oral cancers. dentistrytoday.com, Aug 20: Robotic surgery for patients with early stage, oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer is associated with improved health outcomes, including better long-term survival, according to researchers at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Read more

Health literacy highlighted in upcoming webinar series. ada.org. Aug 24: The ADA is presenting a two-part webinar series in September on the importance of health literacy and how it can potentially aid dentists in the delivery of care. Let’s Talk: The Role of Health Literacy in Health & Dentistry will stream Sept. 9 and Sept. 23 at noon Central time. 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

2020

September 10-12: California Dental Association (CDA) Presents virtual convention Read more

October 1-10:

October 15-17: ADA FDC Virtual Connect Conference. Read more

2021

March 13-16: “WE” 2021 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition (Virtual). Read more

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