News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2021/01/20

Exclusive: Eight People Vaccinated At Toronto Clinic Should Not Have Received Their Shots. iheartradio.ca Jan 19: …One of the organizations that became aware of the site was the Ontario Dental Association, which reached out to the ministry of health about its authenticity. Read more

Maritime truck drivers describe getting cold shoulder after road trips. atlantic.ctvnews.ca, Jan 19: ...Truck drivers may be essential workers, but it seems some are being denied services during the pandemic. Even though they are exempt from the self-isolation rule that requires travellers to quarantine for 14 days, some say the message is not getting across. Read more

Island dentists offering to give COVID-19 shots. cbc.ca, Jan 18: Island dentists are offering their expertise as the province ramps up and rolls out COVID-19 vaccinations. The P.E.I. Dental Association says dentists themselves could give the shots. Read more

Group that runs dental offices in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls smiling after announcement of priority vaccination inclusion. niagarathisweek.com, Jan 19: With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, a local office is supporting the Ontario Dental Association (ODA)’s call to make sure dentists and their staff can receive inoculations in a timely manner. Read more

Davantage de protection lors des rendez-vous chez le dentiste. ici.radio-canada.ca, 15 janvier: Depuis le passage de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue en zone rouge, les hygiénistes dentaires ont dû adapter leur pratique pour diminuer les risques de propagation de la COVID‑‑19. Lire plus

State [Colorado] to allow dentists, veterinarians and chiropractors to administer COVID‑19 vaccines. 9news.com, Jan 19: The vaccines must still be given in a hospital setting. The goal is to make sure there's enough staff to provide the vaccines. Read more

Brush, Floss and Vaccinate: Dentists Seek Covid Protection. thebusinessjournal.com, Jan 19: While vaccinations begin to ramp up in the Central Valley, one group often overlooked on the front lines is vying for access to help inoculate the community. Read more

Dentists pushing for COVID-19 vaccine. wptv.com, Jan 19: These days visits to the dentists look a lot different. “You call from the parking lot when you arrive, they call you when they are ready for you to put you in the chair,” Tom Markert said. “All the people in the dentist’s office had the right PPE on.” ... “I do feel like that dentists ought to be prioritized,” he said. Here is Florida dentists aren’t at the top of the list to receive or administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more

Interview: Fears and worries of dental students during COVID-19 pandemic. coronavirus.dental-tribune.com, Jan 20: Dr Elham Kateeb’s professional career has been devoted to dentistry: She is involved in the education of a future generation of dentists. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has had a great impact on the way she and her students work and learn together. Dr Kateeb speaks about these difficulties and of how there could be a positive outcome for the whole of dentistry. Read more

Tooth or consequences: Even during a pandemic avoiding the dentist can be bad for your oral health. theconversation.com, Jan 19: ...how can you visit your dentist during a pandemic? As a professor, I can tell you that dentists have made many changes to the way your care is provided to improve safety. Read more

El Paso dentist sees wreaked teeth caused from COVID-19 pandemic. cbs4local.com, Jan 18: Staff at Dr. Frederick W. Pirk’s dental care office said they have noticed more cases of teeth grinding during the pandemic. Read more

One in four Britons say they resorted to DIY dentistry during lockdown, as desperate toothache sufferers pulled out teeth with PLIERS after struggling to get appointments. dailymail.co.uk, Jan 19: A study … found that 24 per cent of adults had tried to fix their teeth problems at home while 55 per cent of had admitted to neglecting their oral health during the pandemic.. Read more

Dentists Top List of COVID-19 Susceptible Professions. engineering.com, Jan 15: One university’s engineering analysis is helping reduce exposure in a top risk area. Read more

Georgia governor authorizes dentists to administer COVID-19 vaccine. wtxl.com, Jan 16. In an emergency order signed Friday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp authorized dentists to be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Read more

OSAP Announces Update on PPE Supplies For Dental Industry. osap.org, Jan 13: The dental industry believes it is turning a corner and now has ample supplies of some PPE. Read more

'COVID Tongue' May Be A Symptom Of COVID-19. Here's What It Looks Like. huffingtonpost.ca, Jan 15: More people are presenting with “COVID tongues” and “strange mouth ulcers” after coming down with the coronavirus, according to the professor leading the United Kingdom’s COVID Symptom Study app. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, Jan 20: Trudeau insists vaccination effort is on track despite Pfizer-BioNTech supply disruption. Member of Ontario's COVID-19 vaccination task force resigns after travel outside country. What's different about the coronavirus "variants of concern" flagged by WHO. Citing threat from COVID-19 variants, Quebec calls on Ottawa to ban vacation travel. Manitoba mulls options for relaxing retail, gathering restrictions for all but northern region. Read more

Tasha Kheiriddin: The Liberals went hostile against Big Pharma. Now we’re facing vaccine shortages. nationalpost.com, Jan 20 [OPINION}:  Europeans will wait just one week for their Pfizer shipments to return to normal levels, while Canadians will wait for four weeks. Read more

Coronavirus vaccine rollout: How Canada compares with other countries. Canada globalnews.ca, Jan 20: Canada has ordered the world’s largest number of coronavirus vaccine doses per capita – among which only two candidates have been approved so far. Read more

Ontario's first major COVID-19 vaccine site will stop administering shots immediately. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Jan 20: A pilot COVID-19 immunization site in Toronto that was meant to be a “playbook for mass vaccination clinics” will stop administering shots after just two days in operation due to a Canada-wide shortage in doses. Read more

Investigation launched after Windsor woman dies following COVID-19 vaccination. windsorstar.com, Jan 19:  A retirement home resident in Windsor-Essex who died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine has ignited an investigation by multiple groups into what actually caused her death. Read more

Alberta First Nations leaders frustrated by delay in vaccine rollout. cbc.ca, Jan 19: Alberta First Nations leaders say they are frustrated with the way the province is handling COVID-19 vaccine distribution after the government paused the rollout of first doses until supply is restocked. Read more

Poll finds strong support for COVID-19 curfews despite doubts about effectiveness. natioanlnewswatch.com, Jan 19: Almost two-thirds of Canadians would support a nightly curfew if necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 - even though they're not convinced it would be effective, a new poll suggests. Read more

PM warns Canada could impose new COVID-19 travel restrictions without notice. ctvnews.ca, Jan 19: Citing the evolving situation with the identified COVID-19 variants from other countries, the prime minister is strongly urging Canadians not to travel because federal travel rules could change very quickly. Read more

These futuristic technologies are fighting COVID-19 one microbe at a time. One detects the virus, the other destroys it. guelphmercury.com, Jan 18: As Ontario looks forward to a time when enough people have received COVID-19 vaccines for life to return mostly to normal, innovative technologies are allowing some essential services to keep their doors open right now. Two devices in particular could give businesses, health-care practitioners and other public service providers the power to detect and kill the virus indoors. Read more

COVID-19 worsening Canadian students' diets, inactivity, alcohol consumption: study. ctvnews.ca, Jan 17: A new Canadian study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased unhealthy behaviour in post-secondary students. Read more

64% of Canadians in favour of mandatory coronavirus vaccines: poll. globalnews.ca, Jan 16: According to a new Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News, 64 per cent of Canadians think the inoculations should be made compulsory. Read more

Rapid COVID-19 antibody test can check immune response. news.westernu.ca, Jan 15: ... WORLDiscoveries, Western University’s technology transfer office, has applied for a US Provisional Patent around the technology and is actively searching for commercialization partners to license and manufacture the test and make it commercially available to healthcare providers in Canada and abroad. Read more

YVR rapid test study shows tests could be used in care homes, other facilities. vancouverisawesome.com, Jan 16: It’s entirely feasible for rapid tests to be used on a wide scale at busy airports, in long-term care homes or other facilities, according to one of the principal investigators of Vancouver International Airport’s rapid test study. Read more

Nova Scotia embraced rapid testing for COVID-19 months ago. Why have other provinces been so slow? nationalpost.com, Jan 15: Dr. Lisa Barrett said there has long been a problem with health officials being overly cautious about whether promoting too much testing will encourage risky behaviour. Read more

Coronavirus live: Italy may take legal action over Pfizer vaccine delivery delays; China finds two cases resemble UK strain. theguardian.com, Jan 20: French health officials warn against wearing home-made fabric masks; Two cases in China considered to be highly similar to UK variant; Dutch curfew set to be introduced between 8.30pm and 4.30am. France may follow Germany in making clinical masks mandatory. Vaccines may need updating to protect against new variant. Indian hesitancy sets back world’s biggest vaccination drive. Read more

Moderna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation. ctvnews.ca, Jan 19: Moderna Inc said on Tuesday it had received a report from California's health department that several people at a center in San Diego were treated for possible allergic reactions to its COVID-19 vaccine from a particular batch. Read more

New variants of novel coronavirus detected worldwide, worrying public health experts. ctvnews.ca, Jan 19: More variants of the novel coronavirus are being detected worldwide, ramping up fears in Canada around the increased transmission some of these variants could bring. Read more

Pfizer vaccine appears effective against coronavirus variant found in Britain -study. financialpost.com, Jan 20: The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is likely to protect against a more infectious variant of the virus discovered in Britain which has spread around the world, according to results of further lab tests released on Wednesday. Read more

Most Americans want vaccine as nation tops 400,000 COVID deaths. cidrap.umn.edu, Jan 19: One day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, a new poll from Washington Post-ABC News shows that 52% of Americans think the coronavirus outbreak is out of control, and 62% say trying to control the pandemic is more important than restarting the economy. Read more

Scientists are racing to understand the new COVID-19 variants, and if they will derail vaccination efforts. cbc.ca, Jan 19: Researchers warn future sets of mutations could evade current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Read more

Health workers refusing vaccine is new growing US problem. thehill.com, Jan 18: Scores of health care workers are still declining to take the COVID-19 vaccine, presenting problems to the pandemic response by sending the wrong message to the public and risking staff shortages if workers become sick. ... While there is no national data showing the number of health workers who have declined to be vaccinated, governors, public health officials and health care executives have sounded the alarm on what appears to be a higher than expected refusal rate. Read more

New Jersey allows smokers to get early coronavirus vaccine. Here’s why. globalnews.ca, Jan 18: New Jersey this week made millions of people eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, including smokers, a move that prompted gripes about them skipping to the front of the inoculation line. … It goes back to people who are at “significant risk” of adverse illness from the coronavirus. Smokers are included in the group because their use of tobacco inhibits their lungs, and COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, health officials say. Read more

World on brink of ‘catastrophic moral failure’ with vaccine nationalism, WHO says. globalnews.ca, Jan 18: The world is on the brink of “catastrophic moral failure” in sharing COVID-19 vaccines, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday, urging countries and manufacturers to spread doses more fairly around the world. Read more

Norway warns of vaccination side-effects, deaths in some patients over 80. globalnews.ca, Jan 15: The Norwegian Medicines Agency on Thursday reported a total of 29 people had suffered side effects, 13 of them fatal. All the deaths occurred among patients in nursing homes and all were over the age of 80. The agency listed fever and nausea as side effects which “may have led to the deaths of some frail patients,” Sigurd Hortemo of the Norwegian Medicines Agency said in the body’s first report of the side effects. Read more

Coronavirus live news: Japan detects fast-spreading variant first found in Britain; Portugal deaths at new high. theguardian.com, Jan 18: Japan finds Covid variant in 3 people with no record of travel to UK. German health minister says more needs to be done to bring virus under control. Russia reaches 3,591,066 cases. Biden plan to vaccinate 100m people in 100 days ‘doable.’ Bolsonaro rival says vaccine is ‘triumph of science against denialists.’ ‘An unmitigated disaster’: America’s year of Covid. Read more

Delorey pledges dental care, hearing aid support for low-income seniors if he becomes premier. cbc.ca, Jan 19: Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership candidate Randy Delorey says he will introduce a low-income seniors dental program and assistance for buying hearing aids if he becomes premier next month…the idea for the dental program stems from a constituent who recently needed emergency dental care. "When it gets to that point, obviously, it's often associated with a lack of preventative care up front," he said. Read more

Alison Coffin promises to revamp dental care for seniors. ntv.ca, Jan 19: NDP leader Alison Coffin made her first policy announcement for the provincial election on Monday. She promised to revamp the Adult Dental Program in consultation with dentists and denturists to ensure seniors get the care they need. Watch 2:11

Health care takes centre stage in N.L. election campaign. cbc.ca, Jan 18: ...NDP's promises for seniors. The New Democrats kicked off their election campaign in St. John's by pledging to spend more on dental programs for seniors. Alison Coffin said the party would invest more money in the provincial adult dental care program and give more power to dentists, denturists and dental hygienists to set the program criteria and direction. Read more

Experts say pandemic fuelling apparent spike in eating disorders among adolescents. ctvnews.ca, Jan 20: Pediatric and mental health experts say pandemic stress is driving a spike in eating disorders among adolescents and teens, pointing to school disruptions, social isolation and infection fears as destabilizing factors that could have long-term physical and mental health effects. Read more

Nunavut updating smoking legislation to combat highest rates in the country. nunavutnews.com, Jan 18: The prevalence of tobacco use remains high in the territory, at a rate four times higher than the national average. Read more

Newfoundland and Labrador NDP announces dental platform. thetelegram, Jan 18: Liberals made cuts to the Adult Dental Program in 2016 and now crucial services like extractions, fillings and dentures are only available to seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement or living in long-term care homes. The Liberals’ program also only covers seniors for certain procedures on a timeline decided by the government. Read more

Canadians leaving big cities in record numbers: Statistics Canada. ctvnews.ca, Jan 16: Canada's biggest cities are experiencing a record-breaking loss of people as urbanites move to smaller bedroom communities in search of affordable homes. According to a new Statistics Canada report, Montreal and Toronto both saw a record loss of people from July 2019 to July 2020 as urban-dwellers moved to the suburbs, smaller towns and rural areas. Read more

No Word On Fluoride In Water From Calgary. strathmorenow.com, Jan 16: The topic of reintroducing fluoride into the drinking water in Calgary is a hot one right now. At the most recent Strathmore council committee of the whole meeting, town staff explained that the town receives its potable water from a regional water system based in Calgary. Fluoride was removed from the city drinking water in 2011, but in 2019 Calgary began discussions about the reintroduction of fluoride. Read more

One person dies, another lives. newsinteractives.cbc.ca, Jan 18: Nova Scotia has become the first jurisdiction in North America to presume adults are willing to donate their organs when they die. It's a move being watched by medical experts across the continent. Read more

Editorial: Nunavut needs to butt out. nunavutnews.com, Jan 16: With costs to health and your pocketbook there are more reasons than ever to put that cigarette out for good. Tobacco use in Nunavut is out of control – in a 2018 Government of Nunavut report, it was revealed that 74 per cent of Nunavummiut aged 16 and over were either occasional or daily smokers. Read more

MacGregor to host virtual town hall on the Canada Pharmacare Act. chemainusvalleycourier.ca, Jan 17: Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Alistair MacGregor will be hosting a virtual public town hall, Pharmacare for All: A Prescription for Your Wallet, to highlight NDP Critic for Finance, MP Peter Julian’s Canada Pharmacare Act, Bill C-213. Read more

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Trust Everything That Your Dentist Says. rd.com, Jan 19: (This article was originally in The Atlantic, May 2019): While most of the professionals who care for our teeth are reputable and honest, dentistry is less science-based and regulated than other fields. Some patients pay the price. Read more

The TeleDentists and MediOrbis Partner to Provide a New Telehealth Solution for Medical-Dental Integration. einews.com, Jan 19: In an attempt to close the dental-medical gap, The TeleDentists and MediOrbis partner to provide both dental and medical virtual services. Read more

Australian dentist calls out teeth whitening products as useless, potentially dangerous. 7news.com.au, Jan 20: Teeth whitening products bought in supermarkets are a waste of time and money and charcoal toothpaste should be removed from shelves entirely. That’s the damning assessment of a leading Melbourne dentist, who has been witnessing the impacts of the ever-increasing pursuit of a Hollywood smile. Read more

New report from FDI World Dental Federation tackles oral health inequalities and outlines strategies to improve oral healthcare over the next ten years. newswire.ca, Jan 18: Coinciding with the 148th session of the World Health Organization Executive Board, where an oral health resolution is on the agenda for adoption by governments, FDI releases Vision 2030: Delivering Optimal Oral Health for All, a timely report that offers a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary roadmap on how to impact health policies and tackle challenges to improve oral health and reduce oral health inequalities over the next decade. Read more

Thousands of South Yorkshire patients could their lose dentist if cuts approved, warns MP. thestar.co.uk, Jan 15 John Healey…has urged ministers to carry on providing funding that has allowed 5,000 patients in his constituency see an NHS dentist in the last three years. The funding is set to run out in April and this would leave dental practices with no choice but to strike off patients, adding to pressure on hospitals. Read more

Italy smoking: Want to light up in Milan? Not anymore, you can't. bbc.com, Jan 18: Smoking within a 10m (30ft) distance of other people is no longer permitted from Tuesday at bus and tram stops as well as in the city's parks and green spaces, sports and recreational grounds, children's play areas, stadiums and cemeteries. Read more

Former FDA commissioner: "Reliable drug supply is absolutely critical". axios.com, Jan 15: Having a reliable supply of pharmaceutical drugs throughout America will be "absolutely critical" to boosting affordability in health care during the Biden administration, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Mark McClellan said. McClellan notes that the FDA under a Biden administration could continue working with "many hospitals that are implementing new ways of purchasing drugs to have more reliable supply and avoiding those big price jumps for important generic drugs." 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

March 4-6: Pacific Dental Conference – 2021 Virtual Experience. Read more and register

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

May 6-8: 2021 Ontario Dental Association Annual Spring Meeting (ASM21). 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