News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2021/07/14

Update: Graphene face masks by Shandong Shengquan New Materials Co. Ltd. can resume sale in Canada. healthycanadians.gc.ca, July 13: Health Canada assessed four models produced by the company and found no health risks of concern. No other graphene face masks are currently permitted for sale in Canada. Read more

Regina city council to debate adding fluoride to drinking water. cbc.ca, July 14: Almost all councillors elected in 2020 support adding fluoride to the water. Regina city council is once again set to discuss adding fluoride to the city's drinking water. It has been an ongoing topic in the city and was last formally discussed in 2016. Read more

Canada Life signs deal to buy claim management services company ClaimSecure. montreal.citynews.ca, July 13: The Canada Life Assurance Co. has signed a deal to buy ClaimSecure Inc., a company that provides health and dental claim management services. Read more

Desjardins Capital and Cortexnord Capital become minority shareholders in Progitek, a leader in dental practice management software. newswire.ca, July 12: ...Founded in Quebec City in 1995, Progitek employs nearly two dozen employees and has developed a range of innovative software solutions for dental practitioners. Dentitek, its flagship product, allows practising dentists to go paperless, while facilitating clinic administration and boosting productivty. Read more

Greens concerned about delay to provincial dental care program. cbc.ca, July 11: The delay in the new provincial dental care program is disappointing to seniors and low-income Islanders, says P.E.I. Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker. The program, first announced in a budget more than a year ago, was supposed to start on July 1. Provincial officials say they are in the final stages of planning for the program and are on track to roll it out by the end of July. Read more

Spurring the next generation of Indigenous dentists. bitemagazine.com.au, July 14: A new partnership between the Australian Dental Association New South Wales (ADA NSW) and the Indigenous Dentists’ Association of Australia (IDAA) will explore how to improve oral health outcomes for—and inspire—the next generation of Indigenous dental practitioners. Only 0.4 per cent of employed dental professionals in Australia are Indigenous. Read more

Senate Democrats' $3.5T budget deal backs up Biden's goals. 660citynews.com, July 14: …The accord marks a major step to meet President Biden’s goal of bolstering an economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and setting it on course for long-term growth — and includes a Medicare expansion of vision, hearing and dental benefits for older Americans. Read more

Dentists say teeth grinding is surging during COVID-19 pandemic. abcnews.go.com, July 12: With the pandemic causing uncertainty, isolation and disruptions in routine, research has continued to show increases in far-reaching physical and mental health problems -- and now, dentists are noting that teeth grinding and jaw clenching, known as bruxism, also seem to be on the rise. Read more

Hackers target Wellington, NZ dental clinic's email server. newshub.co.nz, July 12: Patients at a dental practice in Wellington may have had their privacy breached after its email server was hit by hackers. On its website, the practice said its email server was hacked in April and malware was installed. Read more

The future of dentistry: Augmented intelligence can identify oral issues, improve practice efficiency. ada.org, July 9: From diagnosis and treatment planning to practice management, augmented intelligence is positioned to transform the way dentists care for their patients. Read more

Dental Insurance Is the Next Industry That Badly Needs Reform. insidesources.com, July 11 [OPINION}: In the last decade, most debate and discussion on reforms related to healthcare have focused on Americans’ general health insurance plans and costs. And for good reason. And though our health system is convoluted and complicated, it gets even more complex when we examine what is happening with dental care. Read more

Bill to allow dental therapists to practice in Oregon could have big affect on rural areas. ckby.com, July 9: A new bill awaiting Governor Kate Brown's signature will allow dental therapists to become licensed and practice in Oregon. … "Dental therapy had been done in Alaska for many years, in Minnesota, in different states but it had been done in an effort to just get those services to communities that didn’t have them," said Rep. Tawna Sanchez. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, July 14: COVID-19 patients ending up in Saskatchewan ICUs are overwhelmingly unvaccinated. Number of active cases across Canada below 5,000. Travelling while fully vaccinated: Your questions answered about the new rules. What the World Health Organization really said about mixing COVID-19 vaccines. WHO says more transmissible delta variant has been detected in at least 111 countries. Read more

Lambda variant in Canada: where is it and will it become a variant of concern? ctvnews.ca, July 13: The Lambda variant detected in many South American countries has made its way into a handful of Canadian provinces. But experts say there’s no sign it causes more severe outcomes compared with other variants, and that our high vaccination rate should help prevent a rapid spread in this country. Read more

Trudeau says he'll leave domestic vaccine passports up to the provinces. cbc.ca, July 13: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will work with provinces to ensure there is an "internationally accepted proof of vaccination" for international travel, but will leave domestic options up to the provincial governments. Read more

Ontario college will make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for students and staff on campus. toronto.ctvnews.ca, July 13: Seneca College will require all students and employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before they attend campus for “in-person teaching, learning and working.” Read more

COVID-19: All health-care workers should get fully vaccinated, says B.C. seniors' advocate. vancouversun.com, July 13: B.C.'s provincial health officer has been reluctant to order mandatory vaccinations for health care workers. Read more

Trudeau defends Canada's early response to COVID-19 after expert review said changes are needed. nationalpost.com, July 13: There are ways to improve Canada’s early pandemic alert and response systems, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, but he also insists the country’s top public health officials did start building a national response to COVID-19 very early on. Trudeau said he welcomed a report the government commissioned reviewing Canada’s Global Public Health Intelligence Network, known as GPHIN, which was published Monday. Read more

U.S. vaccination drive stalls, but 70% of Canadians will receive first dose by end of July. nationalpost.com, July 13: The daily pace of COVID vaccinations has increased in a dozen countries racing the more contagious Delta variant. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday. cbc.ca, July 12: Canada's pandemic warning system was understaffed and unready when COVID hit, review finds. Pandemic travel restrictions leaving the children of temporary residents stranded abroad. J&J COVID vaccine may pose 'small possible risk' of rare neurological syndrome, CDC says. Restrictions to loosen this week in N.S., Strang urges people to get 2nd dose. Read more

WHO cautions data still limited on mixing COVID-19 vaccines, but Canadian officials say it's OK. ctvnews.ca, July 12: Canadian officials and doctors are defending sanctioning the mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines, after the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist issued a new caution about citizens opting to receive vaccines from different manufacturers, saying that the data remains limited on the practice. Read more

A growing number of countries are making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for health care workers – and there are growing calls for Ontario to follow suit. toronto.citynews.ca, July 13: France and Greece are two of the latest European countries to bring in rules that will ensure all health and long-term care workers are vaccinated, or otherwise face penalties. Read more

Canada has let thousands of AstraZeneca vaccine doses expire — and thousands more soon will. Why one expert calls that ‘a moral failure.’ The Toronto Star, July 13: Thousands of AstraZeneca doses are going to waste in this country, at a time when other nations face critical vaccine shortages in their battle against COVID-19. See attached

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world Monday. cbc.ca, July 12: Canada to donate almost 18 million surplus AstraZeneca doses to low- and middle-income countries. Election in the time of COVID-19: Nova Scotia officials prepare. Provincewide COVID-19 restrictions lifted in Saskatchewan. Analysis | More data needed as Pfizer looks to COVID-19 booster shots, experts say. Read more

Canada to reach 55M vaccine doses by week's end, catching up to U.S. on second doses. ctvnews.ca, July 12: Canada is expecting vaccine shipments to keep rolling in this week as the country inches closer to matching the percentage of people in the United States fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read more

Colleges, universities grapple with making vaccines mandatory for students. nationalpost.com, July 12: Canada appears to be hitting a complacency wall, with the lowest uptake being among the university-age demographic, the 18- to 29-year-olds. Read more

Health experts predict gradual return to normal, but with caveats. cbc.ca, July 12: Vaccinating children ages 5-12 key to reaching herd immunity, experts say. … As close as we're getting to something resembling the pre-pandemic normal, we're not there yet. Herd immunity remains an elusive target, and a moving one. Read more

Coronavirus live. theguardian.com, July 14: Riots hamper medical services in Covid ravaged South Africa; record cases in Indonesia and Vietnam. EU not adding UK to safe travel list. Delta variant gains ground in US amid vaccine divide. ‘Safe and secure’ Olympics promised as Tokyo Covid cases soar. WHO warns of ‘chaos’ if individuals mix Covid vaccines. Battle for oxygen as Myanmar faces worst Covid outbreak. Read more

The debate begins over the timeline for COVID vaccine boosters. axios.com, July 13: Conflicting statements from Pfizer and the Biden administration were just the beginning of what will likely be a contentious debate over if and when vaccinated Americans need another shot to protect them against the coronavirus. Read more

‘Potentially a death sentence’: White House goes off on vaccine fearmongers. politico.com, July 12: The administration has shifted to a head-on strategy to dispel fear-mongering over its door-to-door efforts. The Biden administration is casting conservative opponents of its Covid-19 vaccine campaign as dangerous and extreme, adopting a more aggressive political posture in an attempt to maneuver through the public health conundrum. Read more

TikTok audio contributes to 'feedback loop of anti-vaccine narratives,' researchers say. thehill.com, July 13: Videos and audio tracks circulating on TikTok contribute to the viral spread of misinformation surrounding vaccines, according to researchers at a London-based firm that tracks disinformation. They found a function of TikTok's app that enables users to share audio tracks to make their own videos has allowed coronavirus misinformation about vaccines to go viral. Read more

Biden officials say booster shot not currently needed following Pfizer meeting. thehill.com, July 12: Pfizer officials briefed U.S. health officials on Monday about preliminary data concerning the need for a third shot of the company's COVID-19 vaccine, but the Biden administration said its stance has not changed that a booster shot is not currently needed. Read more

U.S. puts new warning on J&J coronavirus vaccine for autoimmune disorder. ctvnews.ca, July 12: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday added a warning to the fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine saying that data suggests there is an increased risk of a rare neurological disorder in the six weeks after inoculation. In a letter to the company, the FDA classified the chances of getting Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after vaccination as being "very low." Read more

Greece and France join Italy in making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for health workers. ctvnews.ca, July 13: As Europe struggles with a rising number of coronavirus cases caused by the Delta variant, several countries are making vaccinations compulsory for health-care workers, and some leaders are even considering making shots mandatory for all. ... The U.K. government, which is pushing ahead with its unlocking plan despite strong warnings from experts, has previously said it will mandate shots for care home staff from October. Read more

Chinese drugmakers agree to supply more than half a billion vaccines to COVAX. cbc.ca, July 12: Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are the latest to be included in global vaccine-sharing program. Read more

Republicans push to ban "discrimination" against unvaccinated people. State Republican lawmakers around the U.S. are pushing bills — at least one of which has become law — that would give unvaccinated people the same protections as those surrounding race, gender and religion. Why it matters: These bills would tie the hands of private businesses that want to protect their employees and customers. Read more

Immunized but banned: EU says not all COVID-19 vaccines equal. ctvnews.ca, July 13: After Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor and his wife received two doses of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine in Nigeria, they assumed they would be free to travel this summer to a European destination of their choice. They were wrong. Read more

WHO says countries should not order COVID-19 boosters while others still need vaccines. ctvnews.ca, July 12: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said deaths were again rising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delta variant was becoming dominant, and many countries had yet to receive enough vaccine doses to protect their health workers. Read more

Israel offers third shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adults at risk. ctvnews.ca, July 11: Israel said on Sunday it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer Inc's vaccine to adults with weak immune systems but it was still weighing whether to make the booster available to the general public. The rapid spread of the Delta variant has sent vaccination rates in Israel back up as new infections have risen over the past month from single digits to around 450 a day. Read more

Unvaccinated Belgian woman contracted two COVID-19 variants simultaneously. ctvnews.ca, July 11: A 90-year-old Belgian woman who died from COVID-19 in March had contracted two variants of coronavirus at the same time, which is believed to be the first documented case of its kind, a scientific congress and Belgian media said on Sunday. Read more

Italian COVID-19 vaccine shows strong immune response in mid-stage trial. ctvnews.ca, July 12: Italy's hopes of producing its own COVID-19 vaccine were given a boost on Monday when local biotech firm ReiThera said its vaccine candidate showed a strong immune response and no major side effects in intermediate Phase II clinical trials. ... However, ReiThera needs at least 60 million euros (US$71 million) to fund final Phase III trials and was dealt a blow in May when a state audit court rejected a plan to pump public funds into the company. Read more

New virus surge sends younger patients to Spain's hospitals. ctvnews.ca, July 10: … After a brief respite that brought medical activity back to pre-pandemic routines, managers at the Hospital del Mar are facing a sharp surge in infections by, once again, rearranging staff shifts and moving patients around in their sprawling facilities. Read more

Fox Won’t Stop Anti-Vaccine Scare Campaign Even as Delta Variant Spreads. vanityfair.com, July 11: Conservative commentators, including those who have been vaccinated themselves, appear willing to endanger their audience for ratings. Read more

Bank of Canada cuts growth forecast for 2021, holds key interest rate. ctvnews.ca, July 14: The Bank of Canada is cutting its expectations for economic growth this year as it keeps its key interest rate target on hold at 0.25 per cent. Read more

Canada’s next governor general Mary Simon to be officially installed July 26. nationalnewswatch.com, July 13: Mary Simon will officially become Canada's governor general later this month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Simon, an Inuk leader and former Canadian diplomat, as his choice to be the Queen's representative in Canada last week. Read more

Next governor general's inability to speak French leaves francophone community conflicted. cbc.ca, July 14: Appointment of 1st Indigenous GG hailed, but some wonder what happened to tradition of bilingualism. Read more

Quebec ERs 'on the verge of a breakdown' and need help, emergency doctor says. cbc.ca, July 14: Physicians worry critical staff shortages could lead to closures or more medical errors. A growing number of emergency rooms in Quebec are struggling to care for patients as hospitals deal with severe staffing shortages caused by nurses fed up with pandemic working conditions. Read more

Overdoses, alcohol-related deaths increased in Canadians under 65 during pandemic: StatCan. ctvnews.ca, July 12: Overdose deaths and alcohol-related fatalities increased among Canadians under 65 during the COVID-19 pandemic due to extended lockdowns and isolation, according to new data from Statistics Canada. Read more

Shandro defends smoking act changes, advocates say amendments fall short. 660citynews.com, July 13: An amendment to the Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Act comes into effect at the end of this month, including an exemption for cigar lounges to be able to operate under certain conditions. In an exclusive interview with 660 NEWS, Health Minister Tyler Shandro defends the government’s stance. Read more

More than 160 unmarked graves found near another B.C. residential school site: Penelakut Tribe. bc.ctvnews.ca, July 12: There has been another devastating discovery of unmarked graves near a residential school site in B.C., according to the local First Nation. More than 160 "undocumented and unmarked" graves have been confirmed on Penelakut Island, formerly Kuper Island, according to a statement from Penelakut Tribe Chief Joan Brown. Read more

Indigenous-led schools are a way to redress legacy of residential schools: Educator. ctvnews.ca, July 12: Leaders of Toronto's first Indigenous cultural school say institutions like theirs are a way to redress the injustices and legacies of the residential school system in Canada. Kâpapâmahchakwêw – Wandering Spirit School has been around since the 1970s and administrators say its restorative impact cannot be overstated. Read more

Canadian women make 89 cents for every dollar men earn. Can new federal legislation narrow that gap? cbc.ca, July 11: Gender equality advocates and labour experts say legislation going into effect later this summer likely will work to reduce the pay gap between women and men in some Canadian workplaces — though it remains unclear whether those gains will ripple out across the larger economy. Ottawa announced on Wednesday that its Pay Equity Act will go into effect on August 31, about three years after the legislation was first unveiled. Read more

Cigar lounges exempted in new smoking and vaping regulations. cbc.ca, July 11: Change called 'very regressive reversal of 13 years of effective public health policy'. The Alberta government has slipped an exemption that would allow cigar lounges in the province into new smoking and vaping regulations, which health advocates say set back anti-smoking legislation by more than a decade. Read more

National strategy calls on Canada to address Inuit food security crisis. lethbridgenow.com, July 12: ...The new document from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, called the Inuit Nunangat Food Security Strategy, says 76 per cent of Inuit over the age of 15 in Canada experience food insecurity, the highest rate of any Indigenous population in a developed country in the world. The strategy lays out Inuit-driven solutions that it wants to see supported by the federal government to address food insecurity and create sustainable food systems in all four Inuit regions in Canada. Read more

New AFN Chief RoseAnne Archibald to focus on residential school burials, Indigenous women and systemic racism. nationalpost.com, July 9: She also says she will prioritize climate change's effects on Indigenous communities and will work with governments and regional chiefs on a post-pandemic recovery plan for First Nations. Read more

Oxford University researchers start trial for HIV vaccine. ctvnews.ca, July 13: Researchers at the University of Oxford in England are trialing a potential breakthrough vaccine for HIV that they hope could also serve as a cure for infected individuals. Read more

Coke rolls the dice, changes formula on Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. fortune.com, July 13: …The new Coke Zero Sugar doesn’t contain new ingredients, but officials say the tweaks will make the drink taste more like Coke’s classic flavor. The company also plans to repackage the drink in a way that will also make Coke’s prominent logo more visible. Read more

Vaping debate 'heating up' once again. cnn.com, July 14: It was a pivotal public health crisis in America before the Covid-19 pandemic -- and then we stopped talking about it. E-cigarettes became ubiquitous in high schools across the country, resulting in scores of teens addicted to nicotine. And though industry leader Juul Labs denied that was ever its intent, the company landed front-and-center in a heated debate. Read more

Big Pharma still largest lobbying spender as Biden signs crackdown executive order, House seeks to pass bill lowering drug prices. opensecrets.org, July 13: President Joe Biden signed an executive order last Friday directing the Food and Drug Administration to import lower-priced drugs from Canada in his attempt to limit Big Pharma and lower costs of prescription drugs. Read more

Corporate watchdog takes SmileDirectClub to court, alleging thousands misled by teeth straightening insurance claims. perthnow.com.au, July 13: Tens of thousands of Australians ordered clear teeth aligners and underwent treatment after allegedly being incorrectly told their health insurance would cover part of it, conduct the corporate watchdog has alleged was false and misleading. Read more

TikTok dentist goes viral after saying we’re all using mouthwash wrong. cosmopolitain.com/uk, July 13: How so? Well, apparently it's better to use mouthwash before cleaning your teeth, not after, which - if I'm not mistaken - is pretty much the only way most people ever use it? Read more

In a fight for survival, Juul funds pro-vaping studies, then pays a scholarly journal to showcase them. startribune.com, July 11: In less than two months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is supposed to decide, at long last, whether the company most responsible for the teenage vaping epidemic should be stopped, or at least restrained, from marketing its e-cigarettes. 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

September 9-11: California Dental Association (CDA) – Presents the Art & Science of Dentistry. Read more

September 25-26: 2021 Virtual Saskatchewan Oral Health Conference. Read more

September 26-29: FDI World Dental Congress | Special Edition | Sydney 2021 Virtual. Read more

September 30 – October 2: Canadian Academy of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics (CARDP) 28th Annual Scientific Meeting. Read more

October 15-19: Les Journées dentaires internationales du Québec 2021. 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

2022

March 10-12: Pacific Dental Conference in conjunction with the Canadian Dental Association, Vancouver, BC. Save the date!

May 5-7: ASM22 – The Ontario Dental Association’s Annual Spring Meeting. Save the date!