News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2021/08/18

The Vast Majority (79%), Of BC Residents Support The Idea Of Proof Of Double-Vaccinations In Order To Participate In Many Public Activities In BC, And Even More (over 8-in-10) Support Mandatory Vaccinations For Certain Professions. insightwest.com, Aug 16: ... 87% of British Columbians support the idea that hospital and medical workers get fully vaccinated, and nearly equally high numbers of support the same for chiropractors/physiologists/dentists (84%), teachers (83%), employees at live sporting events (81%), all federal/provincial workers (80%), and even all employees that go to in-person offices (79%). Read more

Victoria dental clinic offers recycling to keep toothbrushes out of landfill. goldstreamgazette.com, Aug 17: …Viva Dental provides a drop-off spot for oral care products to be recycled through a partnership between TerraCycle and P&G, the company that makes Crest and Oral B. … All non-electric toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and caps, and floss containers can be recycled to ultimately become new items such as outdoor furniture, decking, and storage containers. Read more

ASC finds inventor defrauded investors. advisor.ca, Aug 16: Funds raised ostensibly for a dental drill were diverted for personal use. The promise of a quieter dental drill may have lured investors, but the pitch was ultimately a fraud, an Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) panel has ruled. Read more

ADA supports extending dental coverage to all adults on Medicaid. ada.org, Aug 16: The American Dental Association is supporting legislation that would make comprehensive dental care a mandatory component of Medicaid coverage for adults in every state. In an Aug. 11 letter to congressional leaders, the ADA and nearly 130 other organizations asked them and their colleagues to co-sponsor and advance HR 4439, the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act. Read more

Dental offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles County must comply with new local vaccination orders. cda.org, Aug 16: …Both orders are more stringent than the state public health order of July 26. Dentists and dental staff in Los Angeles County and San Francisco who cannot show proof of COVID-19 vaccination will no longer have the option to be tested weekly once the local orders take effect, unless they meet allowable exemptions. Read more

Study: Half of pediatric opioid prescriptions are “high risk”. labblog.uofmhealth.org, Aug 16: Children and young adults who have pain from surgery, dental care and other conditions are often prescribed opioids. But half of these prescriptions, a new national study suggests, are high risk because of their potential for adverse outcomes. Read more

Dental students in England offered £10,000 to switch university. theguardian.com, Aug 15: Like medicine, dental schools have been hit by the double whammy of a huge increase in demand for places, and far more students than expected achieving the high A-level grades needed to secure their offer. This year 28,690 students applied to study medicine and dentistry, a rise of 21% on last year, according to figures from university admissions service Ucas. But universities warn cash incentives won’t relieve the pressure on many dental courses. Read more

How the pandemic has impacted on oral health. bitemagazine.com.au, Aug 16 [EDITORIAL]: The COVID‑19 pandemic has provided further evidence of the significant disparities in oral health for disadvantaged Australians. But on whose shoulders should responsibility for the provision of care ultimately rest? Read more

‘Pushing towards a crisis’: Dental waiting lists blow out to record levels. theage.com.au, Aug 15: Victoria’s dental system faces a pandemic-fuelled crisis that has left patients in parts of the state waiting more than three years for treatment, key services for children shelved, and some dentists being forced to close their businesses. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, Aug 18:  Ontario announces mandatory vaccine plans for health, education workers; 3rd doses for some. Unvaccinated PC MPPs will be removed from caucus, Ford spokesperson says. N.W.T. active COVID-19 case count more than doubles, hits 73. High vaccine uptake should stem 4th wave in N.L., Fitzgerald said. Alberta reports 407 new COVID-19 cases as hospitalizations continue to rise. 7-day average increases for 33rd straight day as B.C. records 501 new cases of COVID-19. Read more

Why it's now more likely you'll face coronavirus — even if you're vaccinated against COVID-19. cbc.ca, Aug 17: Serious infections among fully vaccinated remain rare, but delta variant raises risk. Read more

Quebec mandates vaccinations for all health-care workers, masks in post-secondary schools. cbc.ca, Aug 17: Ninety-one per cent Quebec's health-care workers have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 84 per cent are adequately vaccinated. But Legault said the stragglers pose "a real risk" to vulnerable patients. Read more

3 Alberta universities announce mandatory masking, rapid testing for back to school. cbc.ca, Aug 17 [27 similar stories published]: At the University of Alberta (U of A), the University of Calgary (U of C) and the University of Lethbridge (U of L), anyone not fully vaccinated will have to undergo regular rapid testing as of Sept. 1, the schools announced in a joint statement Tuesday morning. The three schools are also requiring mask-wearing in public indoor areas where physical distancing is not possible. Read more

Make proof of vaccination mandatory for on-campus classes: McGill law profs. montrealgazette.com, Aug 17: Failure to impose vaccination mandates “discriminates against those with a disability,” professor Richard Gold and 11 colleagues wrote. A group of McGill law professors is urging the university to adopt a COVID-19 proof of vaccination requirement for on-campus classes and activities or face possible lawsuits for discrimination. Read more

Canada’s universities and colleges have broken their students’ trust. theglobeandmail.com, Aug 16 [OPINION]: After I got my two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, I felt as giddy about returning to classrooms this September as I did before my first class 20 years ago. As I watched vaccination numbers surge over the summer, I believed all my students would come back to campus vaccinated; if they didn’t, I thought that my university’s leaders would mandate it. Now, that giddiness is gone. Read more

Sask. has highest COVID-19 test positivity rate in Canada as kids get ready to go back to school. cbc.ca, Aug 18: Delta variant means more children will likely be infected: infectious disease expert. Read more

Water detectives: Scientists test wastewater for signs of virus. news.uwestern.ca, Aug 17: Western's ImPaKT facility site of new international research investigating new way of detecting COVID-19, variants of concern. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday. cbc.ca, Aug 17: N.W.T. COVID-19 case count rises to 34, outbreak spreads to Inuvik. Get immunized, Toronto Public Health says, as almost 99% of those hospitalized with COVID‑19 not fully vaccinated. Manitobans who turn 12 this year eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. B.C.'s vaccine mandate for workers in assisted living, long-term care to include 'rare' exceptions. Read more

Federal leaders urged not to use vaccines 'as a political toy' during election campaign. cbc.ca, Aug 17: Canada's political leaders could do serious damage to the country's vaccination efforts if they engage in a charged and polarizing debate over vaccines during the federal election campaign, say people on the frontlines of outreach work and other experts. Read more

Vast majority of B.C. residents support vaccine passports, survey finds. surreynowleader.com, Aug 16: According to a new Insights West survey, about 80 per cent of British Columbians support mandatory vaccines against COVID-19, but only for certain professions, such as dentists, teachers, chiropractors and physiologists. Read more

'A pandemic after the pandemic': Insurers brace for disability claims 'deluge' from mental, physical strain of crisis. financialpost.com, Aug 16: Canadian employers got a break on their benefits plan costs last year as employees largely stayed home and avoided in-person health practitioners. But experts say the full cost of COVID-19 may only start to show up in the coming year, as mental health challenges, pandemic-delayed treatment for various illnesses and the virus itself could prompt more employees to claim or extend short- or long-term disability. Read more

Ontario to require COVID-19 vaccination or regular tests in health care, education. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Aug 16: The Canadian Press has learned that Ontario plans to introduce a set of policies requiring employers in education and several health-care settings to develop strict COVID-19 vaccination policies for their staff. A senior government source with knowledge of the decision said cabinet approved the plans on Monday night, with an announcement from the province's top doctor expected on Tuesday. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Monday. cbc.ca, Aug 16: Erin O'Toole opposes mandatory vaccination for federal public servants, travellers. Federal election outcome could be unpredictable amid 4th wave, say strategists. COVID-19 vaccine mandates are coming — whether Canadians want them or not. Can B.C. get out of the 4th wave with targeted instead of broad-based measures? Read more

Federal government to require vaccinations for all federal public servants, air and train passengers. cbc.ca, Aug 13: Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced today that the federal government will soon require that all public servants be vaccinated — a mandate that he said will also be implemented by Crown corporations and other federally regulated businesses in the coming weeks. While Canada's vaccination rate is among the highest in the world — 81 per cent of all eligible Canadians have had at least one dose — Alghabra said the country "must do better." Read more

Erin O'Toole opposes mandatory vaccination for federal public servants, travellers. cbc.ca, Aug 16: Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said late Sunday he is opposed to mandatory vaccinations for federal public servants and instead prefers a regular rapid testing regime to keep workplaces safe from COVID‑19. Read more

Younger children may be more likely to transmit COVID-19, study says. ctvnews.ca, Aug 16: new study suggests younger children may be more likely to transmit COVID-19 compared with older children, with the highest odds of transmission being observed from children three years old and younger. Read more

Breakthrough cases: What’s it like catching COVID-19 after vaccination? globalnews.com, Aug 15: …As of July 24, in Ontario alone, among the roughly 8.5 million fully vaccinated people, only 1,988 were infected. They showed symptoms after 14 or more days following the last dose. Read more

Reversing course, Alberta delays plans to lift COVID-19 containment measures by six weeks. calgaryherald.com, Aug 13: ...The province was slated to end all isolation requirements Monday, as well as other basic protocols like mask requirements on public transit and taxis. These changes have been delayed at least six weeks until Sept. 27. Read more

Ontario to mandate vaccines for health care workers, begin COVID-19 vaccine booster shots: source. toronto.citynews.ca, Aug 13: …A source says the province will also be halting any further reopening of the economy as COVID-19 case counts continue to rise in the province. The announcement is expected to come on Tuesday from Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore. COVID19 vaccines will be mandated for hospital and long-term care workers, something both sectors have been calling for over the last several weeks. Read more

Covid-19-live. washingtonpost.com, Aug 18: Biden administration to start offering vaccine booster shots on Sept. 20. Vaccines show declining effectiveness against infection overall but strong protection against hospitalization. The delta variant is putting America’s hospitals back in crisis mode Read more

WHO says no need for COVID-19 booster jabs for now. ctvnews.ca, Aug 18: Current data does not indicate that COVID-19 booster shots are needed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, adding that the most vulnerable people worldwide should be fully vaccinated before high-income countries deploy a top-up. The comments came just before the U.S. government said it planned to make the booster shots widely available to all Americans starting on Sept. 20 as infections from the Delta variant of the coronavirus rise. Read more

Biden administration unveils plan for vaccine boosters starting in September. axios.com, Aug 18: The Biden administration's top health officials announced Wednesday that beginning the week of Sept. 20, Americans who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine should expect to be offered a booster shot eight months after their second dose. The decision reflects a desire by the administration to get ahead of declining vaccine effectiveness, as the highly contagious Delta variant drives a new surge in infections across the country. ... The plan is still subject to approval by the FDA and a CDC advisory committee. Read more

Why eight months? What's behind the timing of the Covid booster shot. nbcnews.com, Aug 17: New data about a third dose, expected from federal officials as soon as Wednesday, may be based on a dip in vaccine immunity seen in other countries, experts said. Read more

How can pharma companies ensure equitable vaccine distribution? medicalnewstoday.com, Aug 17: Although there are vaccines that can reduce the risk of developing COVID-19, getting the global population vaccinated is a monumental task. Read more

Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook has removed 18 million posts with COVID misinformation, but won't say how many people viewed them. cbs.com, Aug 18: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the social media giant has removed 18 million posts containing misinformation about COVID-19, but would not say how many times the posts had been viewed or shared. Read more

Coronavirus live news. theguardian.com Aug 17: UK regulator approves Moderna for over-12s. Weekly deaths up by a third in England and Wales. New Zealand reports first Covid-19 case in community since February. No evidence Covid vaccine raises risk of miscarriage, MHRA says. Texas mask mandate ban can stay as Covid court challenges proceed. Read more

Children hospitalized with COVID-19 in U.S. hits record number. ctvnews.ca, Aug 17: The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States hit a record high of just over 1,900 on Saturday, as hospitals across the South were stretched to capacity fighting outbreaks caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant. Read more

Mental health is the next big workplace issue. axios.com, Aug 16: Employees' mental health is quickly becoming a top concern for companies as they try to hold on to workers through the pandemic. … What's happening: The pandemic has dragged on, and people are dealing with even more loss and isolation — at the same time that America's opioid crisis has gotten worse. Burnout and addiction are seeping into the workplace. Read more

COVID-19 claims younger victims in U.S. as deaths soar. globalnews.ca, Aug 14: …The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nation’s unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than during earlier phases of the pandemic. Read more

U.S. could soon hit more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases per day, NIH director warns. ctvnews.ca, Aug 15: That mark is still a ways off. As of Saturday, the U.S. has averaged about 129,000 daily new cases over the last 7 days, a number that has risen every day since July 5, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The country last averaged over 200,000 cases per day in January, before the COVID‑19 vaccines were widely available. Then as now, the alarming uptick has stretched health resources thin as many hospitals struggle to meet the demand of those who need crucial medical care. Read more

U.S. border agents say they're seizing counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards from China 'every night.' ctvnews.ca, Aug 14: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Memphis, Tenn, have seized thousands of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards so far this year. Read more

Canada’s annual inflation rate surges 3.7% in July, biggest jump in over a decade. globalnews.ca, Aug 18: Statistics Canada says annual pace of inflation rose to 3.7 per cent in July, the biggest increase since May 2011. Read more

Tories surge to upset majority win in N.S. election with a campaign focused on health. atlantic.ctvnews.ca, Aug 17: Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservatives surged to an upset election win Tuesday over the governing Liberals after capitalizing on their main opponent's early stumbles and promising a big-spending fix to the troubled health system. Read more

Federal election a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the mental health system, says CMHA. nationtalk.ca, Aug 16: The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is calling for all federal parties to make mental health a top priority in this election campaign… The pandemic has taken a devastating toll on the mental health of Canadians and exposed glaring gaps in our mental health care system. It has shown the need for all governments to provide significant and increased resources to address mental health in Canadian communities. Read more

Greens nominate local dentist for Kingston and the Islands candidate. globalnews.ca, Aug 17: Dr. Waji Khan, who has run a dental practice in Kingston since 2008, will be the party’s candidate in the upcoming fall election. Khan also served as a captain in the Canadian Armed Forces and continues to serve in the Reserve Forces with the field ambulance service. Read more

Here’s how Nova Scotia’s three major parties stack up on representation and gender parity. globalnews.ca, Aug 15: ...Dentist Dr. Sura Hadad is the PC candidate for Bedford South, and said she was driven to politics because for years, she was one of the tens of thousands of Nova Scotians without a family doctor. Read more

Canadian Vaping Association: Youth vaping is in decline. nationalpost.com, Aug 17 [News Release]: ...Flavour restrictions have been proposed to curb youth usage as well as prevent harm and addiction, despite youth rates already being in decline. The Canadian Tobacco and Vaping Survey, 2020, found that youth vaping has declined since 2019. The CVA calls on Health Canada to forgo the flavour ban and instead focus on proven methods such as increased enforcement and education programs. Read more

Ontario emergency room visits and deaths from opioids up significantly in 2020. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Aug 17: Figures released by Public Health Ontario show fatal opioid overdoses were up 60 per cent across the province in 2020. The arms-length agency says there were 2,422 opioid deaths in 2020 versus 1,516 deaths the year before. Read more

University of Saskatchewan looks to add Indigenous health division to College of Medicine. thestarphoenix.com, Aug 16: A new division dedicated to Indigenous health is meant to help foster new collaboration with First Nations communities. Read more

Okotoks issues mandatory outdoor watering ban, boil water advisory as leak hinders reservoir supply. calgarynews.ca, Aug 16: … Residents of the designated areas are asked to boil water for at least a minute before drinking or utilizing the water for food preparation or dental care. Read more

N.W.T. health minister says $750 per call to tobacco Quitline is money well spent. cbc.ca, Aug 16: A telephone service set up to help tobacco smokers in the Northwest Territories kick the habit cost taxpayers an average of just over $750 per call over the last three years. The Quitline was set up 10 years ago as part of a national initiative to reduce smoking in Canada. The North has the highest smoking rates in the country. Read more

Pfizer expands recall of anti-smoking drug over carcinogen presence. reuters.com, Aug 13: Pfizer said on Friday it is recalling four additional lots of its anti-smoking treatment, Chantix, after finding elevated levels of cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines in the pills. In June, the drugmaker said it was pausing distribution of certain lots of the anti-smoking drug out of an abundance of caution and pending further testing. Read more

U of G to establish Indigenous research lab, unique at a Canadian university. cbc.ca, Aug 15: An Indigenous-based research laboratory will be established at the University of Guelph, the educational institution has announced. Nokom's House research laboratory will be a permanent, Indigenous, land-based and community-engaged space, the university said, noting it's believed to be the first of its kind at a Canadian university. Read more

Nearly half of trans people have been mistreated by medical providers, report finds. nbcnews.com, Aug 18: The onus of addressing discrimination against transgender people should fall on medical institutions, one of the report’s authors said. Read more

Memorial Health System experiences cyber attack. wtap.com, Aug 15: Memorial Health System [in Ohio] experienced a cyber attack during the early morning hours of Sunday, August 15. Currently, Memorial Health System has suspended user access to all information technology applications related to its operations. They have also implemented technology security protocols and are working with security partners, such as the FBI and Homeland Security, to resolve the issue. Read more

COVID-19, smoking, and cancer: a dangerous liaison. thelancet.com, Aug 16 [EDITORIAL]: An Article published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine on Aug 16, 2021, makes shocking reading. The paper reports the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) incidence and mortality data from 1990 to 2019 for tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancers. 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 18: CAE Annual Meeting. 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

2022

March 10-12: Pacific Dental Conference in conjunction with the Canadian Dental Association, Vancouver, BC. Read more

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

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