The pandemic is affecting your sleep in ways you might not expect. nowtoronto.com, Dec 8: Stress eating and staying at home 24/7 is continuing to impact our sleep routines. ... Dr. Fernanda Almeida, an associate professor in UBC’s faculty of dentistry says that if sleep apnea goes untreated, it can lead to range of serious health issues, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, depression and dementia. Read more
Outbreak at Georgian Bay General Hospital grows to 15 cases. oriliamatters.com, Dec 8: ...Through testing over the weekend, the hospital has now confirmed an additional 12 staff and credentialed staff (physicians, midwives, dentists) infections in areas of the hospital outside of 2 North. Read more
California dental staff will be among first in state to receive COVID-19 vaccine. cda.org, Dec 9: CDA advocated for dental teams to be prioritized in Phase 1a; CDA now coordinating logistics with state and local health departments. Read more
Northeast Michigan dentists take precautions to treat patients. thealpenanews.com, Dec 9: As COVID‑19 infection counts rise across the state and nation, many people are doing their best to stay away from other people’s mouths. Dentists, on the other hand, dive right in. Read more
Wallet extraction: Consumers surprised by dental and other fees for COVID-19. carolinapublicpress.org, Dec 7: When Brianna Briggs of Clayton went to her dentist’s office for a cleaning, she saw a new sign on the front door informing patients of a new $20 fee to cover personal protective equipment costs. Even though Briggs had dental insurance, the $20 fee was added after the insurance adjustment was already made, meaning that she bore the full cost. Read more
NHS recruiting Worcestershire 'immunisers' for Covid-19 vaccine. worcesternews.co.uk, Dec 9: Coronavirus vaccines will be available to people in Worcestershire “imminently” according to NHS officials, and staff are being recruited to administer the jab. The NHS is recruiting experienced ‘vaccinators’ like school nurses, midwives, dentists and GPs to help with the mass delivery of vaccinations in Bromsgrove and Worcester. Read more
Dentists are doctors, too – so why have we been forgotten during Britain’s fight against Covid? independent.co.uk, Dec 9: Now is the time to change course, and for dentists to go from being all but absent from conversations about tackling the pandemic, to being a key part of it. As Britain celebrates the beginning of the vaccine delivery, we should be asking who has the skills, as well as the workforce, to roll it out as safely and as quickly as possible. Part of the answer is the UK’s 40,000 dentists. Read more
[Colorado] Dentists surprised they're left out of state vaccine early distribution plan. 8news.com, Dec 7: One group shared why they're surprised they are left out of phase one and the list all-together -- dentists and dental hygienists. Listen 2:30
The Impact of COVID-19 on Dentistry: An ETHealthWorld Webinar Exclusive. health.economictimes.indiatimes.com, Dec 7. Dentistry is facing its darkest hour yet, with the growth and spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. Dental surgeons are at the highest risk of contracting and transmitting the Coronavirus, alongside paramedics, nurses, and other healthcare workers. Dental clinics across the country have been shut for over two months. Read more
Health Canada approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. cbc.ca, Dec 9: Health Canada regulators have given the green light to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, a key step toward launching the biggest inoculation program in Canada's history. The department announced the approval Wednesday. Public health and government officials will hold a briefing to discuss details of the vaccine rollout plan at 1 p.m. ET in Ottawa. Read more
Indigenous leaders flag treaty obligation for COVID-19 vaccine delivery. globalnews.ca, Dec 8: With Canada’s first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine rolling out as early as next week, First Nations leaders say the federal government must prioritize vaccinating Indigenous people. Saskatchewan treaty commissioner Read more
Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, Dec 9: U.K. regulators say people with history of serious allergic reactions shouldn't get Pfizer's COVID-19 shot. Alberta tightens COVID-19 restrictions in response to surging infection rates. Fly-in First Nation asks for help moving out its elders. Manitoba extends restrictions through holidays, with exemptions. 2 Ontario LTC operators got $157M in COVID-19 aid. They also paid $74M to shareholders. Read more
Canada adds nearly 6,000 new coronavirus infections as deaths near 13K. globalnews.ca, Dec 8: The new numbers come as Canada prepares to receive its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines, which are expected to be delivered this month. Read more
Rising COVID-19 cases have York Region hospitals at a 'tipping point,' CEOs warn. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Dec 8: In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the CEOs of Mackenzie Health, Markham Stouffville Hospital, and South Lake Regional Health Centre said they are concerned that a significant increase in cases could impact the hospitals’ ability to carry out regular services. Read more
Saskatchewan's vaccine plan delayed; health official says COVID growth too high. nationalpost.com, Dec 8: A senior official with the Saskatchewan Health Authority says the province’s health-care system won’t be able to cope if the recent growth in COVID-19 cases continues. Dr. Julie Kryzanowski’s presentation to more than 100 physicians at a virtual town hall last week has been posted online. Read more
Nearly 75 per cent of Torontonians plan on getting COVID-19 vaccine, survey finds. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Dec 7: According to an online survey of 1,201 residents …, about 73 per cent of respondents said that they would either definitely get a COVID-19 vaccine (40 per cent) or probably get it (33 per cent) once they become available. About 16 per cent of respondents said that they would definitely or probably not get the vaccine. A further 11 per cent of respondents weren’t sure. Read more
Conservatives should not be playing to anti-vax fears. thestar.com, Dec 7 [EDITORIAL]: The majority of Canadians are asking all the right questions about COVID-19 vaccines. ... And then there are the pockets of people who are promoting misleading or outright false statements about the safety of vaccines. Read more
Long-term care report endorses rapid COVID-19 testing for seniors facility residents and staff. calgaryherald.com, Dec 7: Alberta and other provinces should adopt regular, proactive testing of asymptomatic staff and residents at continuing care homes to prevent spread of COVID-19, according to a study commissioned by Revera Inc., which operates seniors’ facilities that have experienced some of the largest outbreaks in the province. Read more
Government of Canada awards contract to distribute COVID-19 vaccine from coast to coast to coast. canada.ca, Dec 7. The Government of Canada is protecting the health and safety of all Canadians, and will continue to do so by ensuring access to vaccines. The Government of Canada has awarded a contract to FedEx Express Canada and Innomar Strategies Inc., for an end-to-end COVID-19 logistics solution for COVID-19 vaccines. Read more
Majority of Canadians want the federal government to make the call on mandatory COVID-19 vaccine: survey. ctvnews.ca, Dec 7: As provincial leaders decide whether a COVID-19 vaccine should or should not be mandatory, a new poll suggests Canadians want the federal government to make that call. Over half of Canadians Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies polled (57 per cent) said they felt the Justin Trudeau Liberal government should make the call to determine whether a potential vaccine is mandatory or not. Read more
Quebec marshalling veterinarians, midwives and others to give COVID-19 vaccines. ctvnews.ca, Dec 7: Students and a variety of Quebec health professionals, such as chiropractors and veterinarians, will be able to help give COVID-19 and flu vaccines, provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé said Friday. COVID-19 vaccines are expected to begin rolling out soon, and given the scale of the task, the government wants to "increase the pool of potential labour," it said in a release. Read more
Revera Inc. launches Expert Advisory Panel report on first wave of COVID-19. digitaljournal.com, Dec 7. Revera Inc., a leading owner, operator, developer and investor in the senior living sector, today announced the launch of its Expert Advisory Panel’s report entitled: A Perfect Storm: The COVID-19 Experience for Revera and the Long Term Care Sector. Revera engaged a panel of external experts with global experience in a range of relevant fields to review Revera’s experience with Covid-19 from March to September. The mandate of the panel was to identify practical and actionable opportunities for improvement and develop implementable best practices. Read more
Coronavirus live updates: Canada approves Pfizer’s vaccine, which is still under review in the United States. washingtonpost.com, Dec 9: Pfizer and its development partner BioNTech announced Wednesday that the Canadian government granted emergency approval for their vaccine, becoming the third country to do so, after Britain and Bahrain. President-elect Joe Biden announced a three-point plan to begin defeating the pandemic during his first 100 days in office. Read more
Covid-19 vaccine: Allergy warning over new jab. bbc.com, Dec 9: People with a history of significant allergic reactions should not have the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid jab, regulators say. It came after two NHS workers had allergic reactions on Tuesday. Read more
U.K. probing if allergic reactions linked to Pfizer vaccine. ctvnews.ca, Dec 9: British regulators warned Wednesday that people who have a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn't receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country's mass vaccination program. Read more
Russia's Sputnik V vaccination program has started, but it's facing resistance. cbc.ca, Dec 9: Vaccine hesitancy significant concern as Russia begins mass inoculation. Read more
UAE says Chinese vaccine 86 per cent effective, offers few details. ctvnews.ca, Dec 9: ...The announcement brought yet another shot into the worldwide race for a vaccine to end the pandemic, a scientific effort that has seen China and Russia compete with Western firms for an effective inoculation. While questions remain about the Sinopharm shot, already at least one country outside China plans to roll it out in a mass-vaccination campaign. Read more
FDA: Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine safe and effective after one dose. nbcnews.com, Dec 8: Early protection from first dose is important, but experts caution that second dose is crucial for near complete protection. Read more
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shows 70% overall efficacy, more work needed: study. globalnews.ca, Dec 8: AstraZeneca and Oxford University have more work to do to confirm whether their COVID-19 vaccine can be 90 per cent effective, peer-reviewed data published in The Lancet showed on Tuesday, potentially slowing its eventual rollout in the fight against the pandemic. Read more
Covid-19 vaccine: First person receives Pfizer jab in UK. bbc.com, Dec 8: A UK grandmother has become the first person in the world to be given the Pfizer Covid-19 jab as part of a mass vaccination programme. … She was given the injection at 06:31 GMT - the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be dispensed in the coming weeks. Read more
How COVID is building trust in Big Pharma. raconteur.net, Dec 8: Collaborating on a coronavirus vaccine has given Big Pharma a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redeem its reputation, but will the industry be able to sustain its improved image post-COVID? Read more
States defer to health providers on who gets first vaccines. politico.com, Dec 7: States struggling to prioritize who should receive the initial coronavirus shots are handing off those critical decisions to health care providers, giving them less than two weeks to decide how to ration the scarce doses among their own employees. An expert panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday overwhelmingly recommended that the first doses go to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, given their heightened risk for contracting the deadly virus. Read more
Basic income hailed as key in kickstarting the economy in a post-pandemic Canada. thestar.com, Dec 9: A universal basic income would not only lift more than 3.2 million Canadians out of poverty, it would also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, grow the economy by tens of billions of dollars and eventually pay for itself with increased tax revenues. That’s according to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis. Read more
The Myth of Universal Health Care. thewalrus.ca, Dec 8: Despite our illusions, Canada's system is neither comprehensive nor equally accessible. What would it take to reform it? ... We are two doctors working in very different environments and very different medical disciplines, and we have been seeing COVID-19 reinforce some basic lessons about Canada’s health care. Read more
Doug Ford: All Canadians deserve access to world-class health care. nationalpost.com, Dec 9 [NP Comment]: Ontario stands ready to work with our federal and provincial partners to secure a new funding pact on health care. Read more
Southwestern public health issues fluoride and sodium reminder for Oxford County. woodstocksentinelreview.com, Dec 8: Southwestern public health issued their annual reminder on the levels of fluoride and sodium in water of certain areas of Oxford County. The release from Southwestern public health noted the natural occurrence of sodium and fluoride in some areas of Oxford may pose a health concern for some residents. Read more
Report: Almost one in four children in Nova Scotia living in poverty ort. thechronicleherald.ca, Dec 9: More than 41,000 children in Nova Scotia are living in poverty, says a report released Wednesday. … The number of children living in low-income households has increased from 24.2 per cent in 2017 to 24.6 per cent, with 41,370 children living in poverty. Read more
Sask. lowers taxes for small businesses. regina.ctvnews.ca, Dec 7: On Monday, the provincial government introduced legislation to reduce the tax rate for small businesses in Saskatchewan over the next three years. Read more
Penticton dental clinic for low-income people holding online auction. keremeosreview.com, Dec 8: A Penticton dental clinic is celebrating five years of providing dental treatment to low — and fixed — income adults and seniors in the South Okanagan. Henning Emergency Clinic of Kindness (HECK) Dental Clinic is holding an online auction fundraiser to support their services and provide dental care to those who can’t afford it. Read more
Dentist donates approximately $5K to replace stolen Christmas lights. edmonton.ctvnews.ca, Dec 7: Lights were stolen from a display in St. Albert this week. "Lighting the Way" raises money to support compassionate and palliative care. In the true spirit of the holiday season, a St. Albert dentist has decided he can’t let a local Christmas lights display stay dark. … So when [Dr. Frank] Neves heard a large display outside the Foyer Lacombe Hospice was damaged and parts of it stolen, he stepped up like a teeth-cleaning Santa Claus. Read more
Expect to pay a lot more for groceries next year, thanks to climate change and COVID-19. cbc.ca, Dec 8: Prices expected to rise at fastest pace since Food Price Report started tracking 11 years ago. The average Canadian family will pay up to an extra $695 for food next year, as the pandemic, wildfires and changing consumer habits drive up grocery bills to the highest increase ever predicted by an annual food price report. Rising bread, meat and vegetable prices are expected to lead the overall food price increase of three to five per cent, according to Canada's Food Price Report 2021 released Tuesday. Read more
CMA to First Ministers: URGENT! 16 years is too long to make health a priority. nationtalk.ca, Dec 7: On Thursday, Canada’s premiers will make health care a priority agenda item for the first time in 16 years. … The CMA is calling for action on 5 priority areas, to manage the pandemic and build back health care sustainability. Read more
Therapists say 'now's the time' for professional regulation, make formal request to Adrian Dix. cbc.ca, Dec 6: A group representing 6,000 B.C. counsellors and therapists submitted a formal application Monday morning to Health Minister Adrian Dix, calling on him to regulate their profession and protect vulnerable patients. Read more
SmileDirectClub Patent on Business Is Invalidated by Judge. bloomberg.com, Dec 7: A business-model patent that sent SmileDirectClub Inc. shares surging when it was issued earlier this year was invalidated by a U.S. judge, who dismissed a lawsuit the company brought against rival Candid Care Co. Read more
ADA, ADEA, AAPD, AADR urge Congress to support oral health programs. ada.org, Dec 7: In a joint Dec. 3 letter, the four organizations urged the legislators to increase funding in 2021 for initiatives important to dentistry and the nation's oral health. Read more
ADA urges lawmakers to ensure American Indians, Alaska Natives have access to care. ada.org, Dec 7: The ADA [American Dental Association] sent a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations committees urging lawmakers to ensure that American Indians and Alaska Natives have access to quality dental care. They also sent a letter asking the committees to prioritize military dental research, which not only aids wounded soldiers but also civilians who suffer head or facial injury due to trauma, burns or surgery. Read more
American Heart Association calls for increased tobacco tax in New York. wkbw.com, Dec 7: The American Heart Association held a virtual tobacco tax rally Monday calling on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to include an increased tobacco tax in the 2021 Executive Budget. The association says it has been 10 years since there was an increase in tobacco taxes in the state. Read more
The Easy Way for Joe Biden to Save Lives. theatlantic.com, Dec 7: Eliminating nicotine from tobacco products could help up to 5 million adult smokers quit within a year. There’s an on-the-shelf policy the Biden administration could enact unilaterally that would save millions of American lives, without costing the government a single cent on net. That policy…would not render cigarettes illegal; they would still be available to adults, and the smoking experience would remain much the same. But the product would no longer be so addictive. Read more
U.S. House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level. ctvnews.com, Dec 7: The Democratic-controlled House on Friday approved a bill to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level, reversing what supporters called a failed policy of criminalization of pot use and taking steps to address racial disparities in enforcement of federal drug laws. Opponents, mostly Republicans, called the bill a hollow political gesture and mocked Democrats for bringing it up at a time when thousands of Americans are dying from the coronavirus pandemic. 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
2021
January 25–28: 2021 OSAP Dental Infection Control Boot Camp. Read more
March 13–16: “WE” 2021 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition (Virtual). Read more
March 4–6: Pacific Dental Conference – Virtual Experience. Read more
May 6–8: Ontario Dental Association ASM21 Annual Spring Meeting. 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
We invite you to send us leads to news stories worth sharing oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca.