News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2020/09/16

COVID kills businesses big and small. torontosun.com, Sept 15: Zero income, no breaks from the landlord, bills piling up by the door....A dentist agreed to speak to us about his business situation provided we didn’t use his name, because he, too, had no cooperation from the landlord when COVID struck. Read more
Dentists add new PPE charge to most dental procedures. fftimes.com, Sept 14: If you have recently been to your local dentist, you probably paid an additional personal protective equipment fee. Read more
COVID-19 Update – Regional approaches to AGPs. rcdso.ca, Sept 11: This week the College received new advice from PIDAC - the Provincial Infectious Disease Advisory Committee - via Public Health Ontario on the treatment of patients when performing aerosol-generating procedures. Read more
Dental/Oral Care During Pandemic/Rise in Cracked Teeth. omny.fm/shows/newstalk-610, Sept 11: Shelby Knox Speaks with Dr. Lesli Hapak - President of the Ontario Dental Association regarding dental/oral health during the pandemic. Listen 12:34
Provincial government supports low-income seniors dental clinics. mynorthbaynow.com, Sept 15: Local seniors dental care clinics have received some financial aid from the provincial government. Read more
Health Unit getting $397K for dental care for seniors. cornwallseawaynews.com, Sept 13: The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) will be receiving $397,500 to help low-income seniors meet their dental care needs. This is a part of a $25 million investment in the Ontario Seniors Dental Program. Read more
Dentistry leadership steers Faculty into first U of T reopening. dentistry.utoronto.ca, Sept 15: This fall, it’s business-not-quite-as-usual at the Faculty of Dentistry. Students are learning mostly online, and clinics and labs are back up and running, but at much lower capacity. Read more
House bill proposes $25,000 tax credit for businesses purchasing PPE. ada.org, Sept 15: ADA sends letter to subcommittee asking members to support small business dentist owners through tax breaks, credits. Read more
Dentists see surge in teeth grinding due to pandemic-induced stress. cleveland.com, Sept 16: Since the pandemic began, dentists have seen an uptick of patients grinding in their teeth. The cause? Pandemic induced stress. Read more
Loss of daily rhythm takes bite out of dental health. usatoday.newspaperdirect.com, Sept 15: Dentists told USA TODAY that reports of a spike in cracked teeth are just the start of the problem. Read more
Time for a state boost for dental care? newsroom.co.nz, Sept 15: Has the time come for greater state support of dental care for particular groups in NZ society? Read more
Fallow time: 10 minutes ‘appropriate’ for open-plan clinics, suggests study. dentistry.co.uk, Sept 14: The cross-infection risk following AGPs in an open-plan clinic is ‘small’ and most particles settle in the first 10 minutes. This is according to a new study looking into the implications of COVID-19. Read more
Dentists react to TikTok's 'terrible' money-saving trend: 'I felt it in my teeth as it was happening'. ca.style.yahoo.com, Sept 14: A new TikTok trend has sprouted where users film themselves shaving down their teeth with nail files in an attempt to save money on dental work. Dentists, and this editor, are extremely displeased. Read more
Crest + Oral-B to Host Sought-After New Webinar on Dental Medical Integration. aegisdentalnetwork.com, Sept 15: Oral Systemic Health: The Case for Accelerated Dental Medical Integration: A Panel Discussion with Four Nationally Regarded Thought Leaders." The event takes place on Thursday, September 17th at 9:00 AM PT. Read more
With silver diamine fluoride, some dentists are obliterating cavities with a few brushstrokes. washingtonpost.com, Sept 14: Dental hygienist Jennifer Geiselhofer often cleans the teeth of senior patients who can't easily get to a dentist's office. But until recently, if she found a cavity, there was little she could do. Read more
Stroke emerging as a symptom of COVID-19 in new research. globalnews.ca, Sept 16: A new research study from Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute linked strokes in novel coronavirus patients as a side effect of the disease caused by the virus. Read more
Pressure mounts on Health Canada to approve rapid COVID testing devices. cbc.ca, Sept 15: With a sudden spike in cases prompting more people to get tested, Canadians are coping with hours-long lineups at COVID-19 testing centres across the country — and some medical experts are calling on Health Canada to approve new devices to deliver faster results. Read more
Four more Quebec regions, including Montreal, at 'yellow' COVID-19 alert level: Legault. montreal.ctvnews.ca, Sept 15: ... The new total of eight represents three quarters of the province's population, with "a few of them...very close to being in the orange zone." Read more
Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, Sept 16: Ontario premier warns province may move some regions back into lockdown. Bloc Québécois leader in isolation after wife tests positive for COVID-19. New UN General Assembly president warns unilateralism will only strengthen the pandemic. Head of WHO says school closures should be a 'last resort.' Global economy not doing as badly as previously expected: OECD report. Read more
Study will test Black Canadians for antibodies to explore racial disparity in COVID-19 cases. ctvnews.ca, Sept 15: A team of top Canadian researchers is launching a large-scale antibody test in hopes of better understanding how COVID-19 affects Black people, a group that in other countries has disproportionately suffered dire consequences of the novel coronavirus. Read more
Health experts criticize Canada vaccine deals, call for international funding. ctvnews.ca, Sept 11: More than 100 Canadian health and policy experts say the federal government has succumbed to "vaccine nationalism" because it has pre-purchased tens of millions of vaccine doses from private companies. Read more
Rise in COVID-19 cases 'very well might be' start of second wave, doctor says. ctvnews.ca, Sept 15: ...Infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch says that current upward trends in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec may be fuelling Canada’s second wave of coronavirus infections. Read more
Ontario hospitals alarmed by increase in COVID-19 cases, warn province 'losing ground'. ctvnews.ca, Sept 14: Ontario recorded its highest number of coronavirus infections since early June on Monday as the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) warned that the province is "losing ground" in its battle against COVID-19. Read more
Testing is the best way to contain a second wave of COVID-19: study. montreal.ctvnews.ca, Sept 12: …a recent study says the best way to contain a second wave is through testing. Read more
Lilly says antibody reduces need for hospitalization for moderate COVID-19 patients. nationalpost.com, Sept 16: Eli Lilly & Co said on Wednesday that its experimental antibody reduced the need for hospitalization and emergency room visits for patients with moderate COVID-19, according to an interim analysis of a mid-stage clinical trial. Read more
U.S. outline sweeping plan to provide free COVID-19 vaccine. ctvnews.ca, Sept 16: The U.S. government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for COVID-19 available for free to all Americans, assuming a safe and effective shot is established and widely accepted though polls show skepticism remains across America. Read more
U.K. to ration COVID-19 testing amid testing failures. ctvnews.ca, Sept 16: The British government plans to ration coronavirus testing, giving priority to health workers and care home staff after widespread reports that people around the country were unable to schedule tests. Read more
Germany eyes voluntary COVID-19 vaccine by mid-2021. ctvnews.ca, Sept 15: Speaking to reporters in Berlin, minister Jens Spahn said he wanted to stress there would be no mandatory requirement to get inoculated once a vaccine is ready, "despite what is sometimes said". Read more
5M people infected, India's virus outbreak still soaring. ctvnews.ca, Sept 16: ...The world's second-most populous country has added more than 1 million cases this month alone and is expected to become the pandemic's worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.6 million people have been infected. Read more
Widespread Distribution of a COVID-19 Vaccine Could Take As Long as 2024. biospace.com, Sept 15: …experts are increasingly warning that widespread distribution may take a much longer time. Read more
Coronavirus: Monoclonal antibodies to begin UK trial. bbc.com, Sept 14: Monoclonal antibodies, which are potent, laboratory-made antibodies, will be given to about 2,000 people to see if they are effective against coronavirus. Read more
CDC: Kids can spread coronavirus to their households. axios.com, Sept 14: Children can and do transmit the coronavirus to members of their household, a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms. Read more
Inhaled Versions of Two U.K. Covid-19 Vaccines to Be Studied. bnnbloomberg.ca, Sept 14: Researchers are beginning the first study of whether two of the U.K.’s experimental Covid-19 vaccines can be inhaled, a possible way of raising their ability to prevent the airborne infection. Read more
AstraZeneca to resume coronavirus vaccine trial after unexplained illness in U.K. globalnews.ca, Sept 12: Clinical trials testing a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford are set to resume after a six-day pause due to “potentially unexplained illness” in the United Kingdom. Read more
Pension benefits continue to lead growth in Canadian insurance industry: CLHIA. benefitscanada.com, Sept 16: In 2019, insurers covered about $28.7 billion in extended health-care costs, including prescription drugs ($12.5 billion), dental ($8.9 billion), paramedical and vision ($4.3 billion), hospital ($2 billion) and travel ($1 billion). Read more
Employers boost mental health, wellbeing programs. hrreporter.com, Sept 14: More than half of Canadian employers believe COVID-19 will have a moderate to large negative impact on employee wellbeing. Read more
Canada’s New Normal Demands A Stronger Health System. healthcarecan.ca, Sept 15: HealthCareCAN, the national voice of Canada’s healthcare and health research organizations, is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government to ensure the Speech from the Throne includes a plan toward strengthening Canada’s health system to steel it against health crises. Read more
Loblaw investing $75 million for minority stake in telemedicine firm Maple. stcatharinesstandard.ca, Sept 15: The company said Tuesday the investment will be made through its Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. subsidiary. Read more
P.E.I. to ban flavoured vape, e-cigarette products effective March 1. cbc.ca, Sept 14: As of March 1, 2021, the sale of flavoured vape and e-cigarette products will be banned on Prince Edward Island. ... [MLA Cory] Deagle would now like to see P.E.I. follow Nova Scotia's lead — capping nicotine concentration in e-liquids at 20 milligrams per millilitre. Read more
Drug users, advocates weigh in on why Sask. overdose deaths are at record high. cbc.ca, Sept 14: Police and people with addictions say fentanyl use was growing before pandemic, but is worse now. Read more
The Pandemic Is Intensifying the Opioid Crisis. thewalrus.ca, Sept 14: ...Public health measures designed to contain the pandemic have worsened the situation for drug users, in large part by trying to protect the general population. Read more
N.S. business owners challenge provincial vape restrictions in court. cbc.ca, Sept 12: Application to Supreme Court claims interference with charter rights. Read more
One in 10 older dental patients inappropriately prescribed opioids. today.uic.edu, Sept 16: new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh suggests that a significant proportion of older patients receiving opioids at dental visits also use psychotropic medications — a potentially harmful combination. Read more
Dramatic increases in vaping marijuana, nicotine among US college students, young adults. news.umich.edu, Sept 15: Vaping marijuana and vaping nicotine have increased dramatically among 19-to-22-year-olds, with both more than doubling between 2017 and 2019, according to the University of Michigan’s annual U.S. national Monitoring the Future Panel Study. Read more
Vaping DOES raise the risk of breast cancer, warn scientists amid concerns that young women are 'targeted by E-cigarette companies'. dailymail.co.uk, Sept 12: scientists from a group of American universities, including Yale, Johns Hopkins and Princeton, found exposure to e-cigarette vapour creates a 'tumour-promoting environment' in the breast and elsewhere in the body. Read more
2020
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
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