News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2021/08/25

Mom irked by clinic's refusal to reveal vaccination status of staff. winnipegfreepress.com, Aug 21: Lauren Hope is searching for another pediatric dentist to treat her two children because their clinic won’t reveal if its staff members have been vaccinated against COVID-19. ... Dr. Chris Cottick, president of the Manitoba Dental Association, said while they recommend dental clinic staff get vaccinated, they haven’t mandated it — yet. Read more

Mobile dental clinic rolls out free appointments for young women in need. vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca, Aug 22: …SNIWWOC and Wheely Clean have set up one free dental day each month until December. The support network says it saw an overwhelming response the initiative and had to close applications, while creating a waitlist. Wheely Clean says it is hopeful it will create enough lasting partnerships to keep the initiative running. Read more

Free ADA webinar reveals pandemic’s effect on dentists’ net income. ada.org, Aug 24: The ADA will present a free ADA webinar Sept. 2 that will present the findings of a new research brief, “How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Dentist Earnings?” from the ADA’s Health Policy Institute. The webinar will be streamed at noon Central time and is the first time an analysis has been presented about the COVID‑19 pandemic’s impact on the net income of dentists. Read more

Jonathan Shenkin, D.D.S., former ADA vice president, dies. ada.org, Aug 24: Jonathan Shenkin, D.D.S., who served as vice president of the American Dental Association from 2013‑15, died Aug. 23. In addition to his executive role with the ADA, Dr. Shenkin was a past president of the Maine Dental Association and also served as an ADA media spokesperson on pediatric dental issues. Read more

NHS dental care becomes free in Scotland for those aged under 26. thenational.scot, Aug 24: The change comes as the Scottish Government allocated a further £7.5 million in funding to support the dental sector. The government said the funding will also help dental practices to purchase drills that do not create as much aerosol as standard drills, and so allow dentists to help mitigate the impact of Covid restrictions on the number of patients they can see. Read more

A man has been wearing dentures donated to him by a dead man’s widow after struggling to find an NHS dentist. metro.co.uk, Aug 25: …Matt is entitled to free dental care as a Universal Credit claimant and got his first full upper denture 11 years ago after a cycling accident. He said: ‘It feels like discrimination. I can’t get free dental care because of Covid but they’ll do it if you pay for it. It doesn’t make sense.’ Read more

Best Drugs for Dental Pain. consumerreport.org, Aug 23: Forget about Vicodin, Percocet, and other potentially dangerous, addictive opioids. Over-the-counter painkillers may work better. … Overdose rates were two and a half times higher in people who filled an opioid prescription after a dental procedure than in those who didn’t according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Read more

Teledentistry Use Beyond the Pandemic. carequeset.org, August: A new visual report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health explores four reasons why teledentistry is here to stay. Read more

Does the Banana Peel Teeth-Whitening Trend Really Work? newbeauty.com, Aug 23: A Dentist Weighs In. Like feta pasta, Amazon dupes and chlorophyll water, the banana peel teeth whitening hack is trending on TikTok—but before we tried it, we asked a dentist if it really works. Read more

TikTok Users Made Frozen Honey a Viral Snack — and Dentists Are Warning Against It. allure.com, Aug 23: The ever-popular frozen honey treat might look tempting to try, but dentists say it could have some adverse effects on your teeth. Here's what you need to know, and how to indulge in this tasty snack safely. Read more

Dentist Explains Why You Should Never Brush Your Teeth After Breakfast in Viral Video. newsweek.com, Aug 20: UK-based dentist Anna Peterson recently took to TikTok with a piece of advice: always brush your teeth before eating breakfast. The clip quickly went viral, but viewers were deeply split over the warning. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, Aug 25: Indoor mask mandates return in some Canadian provinces as COVID-19 case numbers rise. Travellers to Canada doubled after border reopened to Americans. How Quebec's vaccine passport will work, and where it will apply. Saskatchewan not implementing vaccine mandates or indoor masking. COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: Active cases in First Nations communities on the rise. N.B. doctors want to see pandemic-forced virtual care continue after COVID-19. Toronto Police Service announces mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all members. Read more

'The right thing to do': Ottawa's hospitals make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory. ottawacitizen.com, Aug 24: The Ottawa Hospital, Queensway Carleton and Montfort issued statements outlining new plans on Tuesday. … The three hospitals joined CHEO in moving beyond provincial requirements when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. Read more

George Brown College to require proof of COVID-19 vaccine or negative test to access campus. toronto.citynews.ca, Aug 23: George Brown College in Toronto is joining a growing list of post-secondary schools to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy. … The school said the decision comes amid rising infection rates driven by the Delta variant. Read more

Alberta doctors call for mandatory vaccination of health workers; 629 new COVID‑19 cases confirmed.globalnews.ca, Aug 23: The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of all health-care workers in the province. Its call joins similar ones from the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Nurses Association and other doctor associations in Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia. Read more

Quebecers can download the vaccine passport app beginning Wednesday ahead of Sept. 1 launch. montreal.ctvnews.ca, Aug 24: …Some Quebecers will be able to download a new mobile app for the vaccine passport Wednesday morning as the province says it’s ready to limit some non-essential services to only vaccinated people. Read more

'Herd immunity' no longer possible without vaccinating young children, Public Health Ontario says. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Aug 25: Achieving herd immunity against COVID-19 will not be possible without an approved vaccine for children under 12, Public Health Ontario says in a new report about what the pandemic will look like this fall and winter. Read more

Nurses, doctors struggle with low morale during 4th COVID-19 wave: ‘Everybody is shattered’. globalnews.ca, Aug 23: …Hospitalizations are not yet at the peak of what was seen in the second and third waves but the numbers are climbing, and some tell Global News they are struggling to repeat the cycle yet again. “Morale has never been lower,” said Cameron Westhead, vice-president with the United Nurses of Alberta. Read more

Nurses at Kamloops, B.C. hospital walking off job due to exhaustion. globalnews.ca, Aug 24: Two-thirds of the emergency nurses at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops have walked off the job recently, claiming they were exhausted and understaffed. The BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) says a large majority of them are choosing to reduce work hours or leave the profession altogether. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world Tuesday. cbc.ca, Aug 24: 3 key factors in how Canada will fare during the 4th wave of COVID-19. Ontario health-care workers warn of 'brutal' nurse shortage as hospitals brace for 4th wave. B.C. announces new COVID-19 vaccine card required for wide range of public activities. N.W.T. waiting to see if feds send out-of-territory health-care staff as COVID‑19 cases rise. U.S. regulators give full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID‑19 vaccine for people aged 16 and up. Read more

B.C. becomes third province to require proof of vaccination, starting Sept. 13. globalnews.ca, Aug 23: British Columbia announced Monday that it will require proof of vaccination for people attending certain social and recreational events. One dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be required for entry as of Sept. 13. By Oct. 24, officials said entry will require people to be fully vaccinated at least seven days after receiving both doses. Read more

'Do no harm': Medicine Hat doctors calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for frontline health-care workers as hospital grapples with fatal outbreak. calgaryherald.com, Aug 23: A group of Medicine Hat physicians is calling on the province to implement a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for frontline health-care workers as the local hospital grapples with a fatal outbreak and infection rates climb provincewide. Read more

Ontario health-care workers warn of 'brutal' nurse shortage as hospitals brace for 4th wave. cbc.ca, Aug 24: The province says it's invested millions to recruit and train nurses Critical care nurses in southern Ontario have reached a breaking point after they say more than a year and a half of brutal pandemic work and stagnant pay has led to a staffing shortage so severe they believe it's putting patients in danger. Read more

Ontario extends temporary wage increase for personal support workers. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Aug 23: The Ontario government says it will extend the temporary wage increase for personal support workers until Oct. 31 as the province grapples with a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Companies are implementing vaccine mandates. Can employees reject them? cbc.ca, Aug 23: Federal and provincial governments, private businesses as well as Canada's biggest banks have in recent weeks announced plans to implement mandatory vaccination policies for many of their returning staff. These vaccine mandates require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. But do employers have the right to impose such mandates? What if employees refuse? CBC News looks at the legal issues these mandates raise. Read more

COVID-19 vaccines will be mandatory for all UHN, SickKids staff. dailyhive.com, Aug 20: On August 19, University Health Network (UHN) and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) announced mandatory vaccination policies for their respective employees. UHN encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Read more

Doctors, nurses, teachers call for mandatory vaccination policies to protect the vulnerable. ottawacitizen.com, Aug 23: "Children should not be dying of a preventable infection." Doctors, nurses, teachers and others on Sunday called for mandatory vaccination policies to better protect the most vulnerable against the Delta variant of COVID-19 as children head back to school. Read more

Before COVID-19, governments ignored warnings Public Health wasn't ready for a pandemic. nationalpost.com, Aug 23: Internal and external audits, along with interviews with experts and insiders, reveal that when it came to surveillance, data collection and emergency preparedness, the federal government was repeatedly warned the agency wasn’t living up to expectation. Read more

What’s the evidence for COVID-19 booster shots? cmajnews.ca, Aug 20: ...Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization has not yet made a formal recommendation on COVID-19 booster shots but is examining vaccine effectiveness in people with compromised immune systems. According to NACI, immunocompromised people may require booster shots to produce a comparable immune response to the general population. A spokesperson for Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada told CMAJ that provinces and territories may choose to offer additional doses to specific populations to enhance their protection against COVID-19. But doing so would be considered off-label use since Health Canada has not authorized a three-dose regimen for any of the COVID-19 vaccines. Read more

High-efficiency masks up to six times better at filtering aerosols than cloth, surgical masks: Canadian study. ctvnews.ca Aug 22: A recent study from engineering researchers in Ontario has found that high-efficiency masks are up to six times better at filtering aerosols compared to more commonly used cloth and surgical masks. Read more

ER doctors express 'confusion and alarm' over Alberta Health Services' position on bed closures. cbc.ca, Aug 23: Emergency medicine doctors have written a letter to the CEO of Alberta Health Services calling for immediate action to address overwhelmed and understaffed emergency rooms. The letter, sent Friday and signed by a dozen ER doctors including the president of the Alberta Medical Association's section of emergency medicine, expresses "confusion and alarm" in response to how AHS has characterized the state of Alberta's emergency rooms. Read more

Ontario science table member resigns, alleges that modelling data 'projects a grim fall'. toronto.ctvnews.ca, Aug 23: A member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table has resigned from his position, alleging politics appears to be influencing public health recommendations and claiming the group is sitting on modelling data that “projects a grim fall.” Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist at University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, announced his resignation from the table publicly on Monday through a letter posted to social media. Read more

Coronavirus live updates. washingtonpost.com, Aug 25: Pentagon orders all active and reserve military personnel to be vaccinated. Delta Air Lines to require that employees be vaccinated or pay health insurance surcharge. China slams U.S. intelligence report on origins of coronavirus pandemic. Paralympic Village faces largest covid outbreak as Games begin. Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster yields stronger response than one shot, company says. Read more

New CDC studies point to waning immunity from vaccines. politico.com, Aug 24: The publication of the studies comes a week after the agency released its first three reports on vaccine efficacy. Two new studies from the CDC show fully vaccinated Americans’ immunity to Covid-19 is waning as the more-transmissible Delta variant continues to spread across the country. One study, which focused on frontline health care workers, found vaccine effectiveness declined by nearly thirty percentage points. Read more

Unvaccinated 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, CDC study says. axios.com, Aug 25: Infection and hospitalization rates in late July were five and 29 times higher, respectively, among unvaccinated people in Los Angeles County than the fully vaccinated, according to a new report out Tuesday from the CDC. Why it matters: Hospitals and state health officials have been warning that the spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations is mostly attributed to unvaccinated adults. Read more

Johnson & Johnson booster shot prompts large increase in immune response, company says. ctvnews.ca, Aug 25: Booster doses of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot coronavirus vaccine generated a big spike in antibodies, the frontline immune system defences against infection, the company reported Wednesday. Read more

WHO: New coronavirus cases worldwide appear to be stabilizing. thehill.com, Aug 25: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday in a weekly assessment revealed that the number of coronavirus cases globally is stabilizing after months of steady increase. According to The Associated Press, infections are seeming to steady at around 4.5 million cases weekly. Read more

American Medical Association calls for public, private sectors to mandate vaccines. thehill.com, Aug 24: The American Medical Association on Tuesday urged the public and private sectors to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations, saying the move is key to getting control of the pandemic. The call comes one day after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer vaccine, a step that is expected to lead more companies to pull the trigger on mandating vaccination for their employees. Read more

Biden calls on companies to mandate vaccines following FDA full approval. thehill.com, Aug 23: President Biden called on companies to mandate COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, voicing strong support for such requirements following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Read more

New York City mandates COVID vaccinations for public school staff. axios.com, Aug 23: All New York City Department of Education employees must receive at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 27. The mandate affects about 148,000 people — including teachers, custodians and office staff — working in the largest U.S. school district. Staff will not have the option to submit weekly coronavirus tests in place of getting a vaccine as was the case with previous requirements. Read more

Oregon, once a virus success story, struggles with surge. nbcnews.com, Aug 24: The state is being hammered by the super-transmissible delta variant, and hospitals are getting stretched to the breaking point. Read more

U.S. FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. reuters.com, Aug 23: The U.S. drug regulator on Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer Inc (PFE.N)/BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine that had earned emergency-use authorization in December, making it the first to secure such Food and Drug Administration validation as health authorities struggle to win over vaccine skeptics. The FDA approved the two-dose vaccine for use in people age 16 and older. Read more

WHO chief calling for two-month halt on vaccine boosters. thehill.com, Aug 23: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday called for a two-month moratorium on COVID-19 booster shots as many low- and middle-income countries still struggle to provide enough vaccine doses for their citizens. Read more

Pandemic upends norms around peer-reviewed studies. thehill.com, Aug 22: ...while experts welcome the increased accessibility and speed of preprints, their growing popularity also poses challenges since the public is essentially left to digest troves of complicated data and findings mostly on their own, sometimes leading to misinterpretation or misinformation. Read more

COVID-19 hospitalization rates for children and adults are soaring in U.S. ctvnews.ca, Aug 23: As Americans face a daunting surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations -- with rates for children and adults under 50 hitting their highest levels yet -- the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older. Read more

What is functional neurological disorder and is it connected to COVID-19 vaccines? ctvnews.ca, Aug 22: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a complex, but common neurological condition. Often FND happens after trauma, stressful life events, injury or car accidents, with people developing neurological symptoms that have no physical cause. Read more

FDA warns against using animal parasite medicine as at-home COVID-19 treatment. thehill.com, Aug 21: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public against using the animal parasite medicine ivermectin to treat a COVID-19 infection at home. Read more

How Australia went from being a 'Covid-free paradise' to 'a mess.' nbcnews.com, Aug 23: In June, one case of the delta variant breached the fortress walls and started an outbreak that could not be controlled. Read more

School mask, vaccine mandates supported in US: AP-NORC poll. abcnews.go.com, Aug 23: A new poll finds that a majority of Americans support mask and vaccine mandates for students and teachers in K-12 schools. Read more

Health-care advocates decry nurse and doctor shortages. ipolitics.ca, Aug 24: Whoever forms the next government needs to fill the growing shortage of nurses and doctors across Canada, say health-care advocates. In a news release on Tuesday, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) urged all federal parties to make health care an election priority by promising to support health professionals. Read more

Restricted sales, new tax coming to vape products in Saskatchewan. globalnews.ca, Aug 25: Changes are coming on the way vape products are sold in Saskatchewan. One change limits the sale of flavoured vapour products to age-restricted vapour product shops. The province said it is aimed at restricting access to those products for minors. Read more

Canadian Vaping Association: Proposed flavour ban ignores the underlying neglected state of mental health in youth. nationalpost.com, Aug 24: Youth wellbeing in Canada has seen a decline in recent years. The staggering numbers demonstrate that the perceived mental health with a mention of poor/fair more than doubled in 2018 for youth. Canadian youth have been vocal regarding their mental health and the need for counseling, and through forward-thinking studies, it’s becoming apparent that their requests are valid and pressing. Read more

Opioid management solutions steering workers toward alternative therapies for pain relief. benefitscanada.ca, Aug 25: In the last year and a half, a number of Canadian benefits providers, including Empire Life Insurance Co., iA Financial Group and Manulife have made opioid management solutions available to plan sponsors in a bid to reduce their members’ exposure to these drugs and help steer them toward alternative pain relief. Read more

Minority of doctors block CMA diversity overhaul. cmajnews.com, Aug 25: Debate over diversity and democratic processes dominated the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) annual general meeting held virtually on August 22. A small group of doctors defeated two motions aimed at boosting the inclusion of underrepresented groups in CMA leadership, and disputes cast a shadow over the ratification of the organization’s first Indigenous president-elect, Dr. Alika Lafontaine. Read more

Vast majority of Canadians believe Trudeau could have waited a year until calling election seen as a 'power grab.' nationalpost.com, Aug 24: The Liberals’ lead over the Conservative party has dwindled to barely two per cent as a tightened race heads into second week. Read more

Canadian pharmacists launch 2021 federal election priorities. pharmacists.com, Aug 20: The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) released its 2021 federal election priorities calling on all parties and candidates to demonstrate their commitment to the health of Canadians by acting on a series of critical issues that will strengthen our health-care system now and into the future. Read more

Trudeau outlines billions to hire family doctors, bring down health-care wait times. ctvnews.ca, Aug 23: ...The Canadian Medical Association estimates about five million Canadians don't have a primary care physician, or family health-care team, which has spillover effects into other parts of the health-care system. ... Trudeau says the Liberals would spend $3 billion over four years starting in 2022 to hire 7,500 family doctors, as well as tax and student loan incentives for health professionals who set up shop in rural or remote communities. He is also pledging an extra $6 billion to wrestle with wait lists. Read more

How do Canada's political parties plan to prepare the country for future pandemics? cbc.ca, Aug 23: The views on that vary among major political parties vying for votes during a fourth wave of a deadly pandemic that has yet to be quelled. That leaves voters having to carefully judge the plans those parties are putting forward to protect Canadians, as experts say there will certainly be more pandemics to come. Read more

Why wasn't Public Health prepared? Parties agree on need for post-pandemic review. windsorstar.com, Aug 23: All of Canada’s major political parties agree that, regardless of the outcome of the election, a thorough review of the country’s pandemic performance and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s role is a necessity. Read more

Here's what the main federal parties are promising seniors. cbc.ca, Aug 22: A look at the main parties' platforms for those 65 and older. Read more

Devastation brought by COVID-19 shows Ottawa must take over care for seniors. thestar.com, Aug 21 [OPINION]: ... Many of the critical challenges in this sector are the direct result of decades of underinvestment, privatization and regulation that is both fragmented and unenforced. As the federal government undertakes to develop national standards for long-term care, we must ensure that they include conditions that will facilitate a robust publicly delivered and publicly administered system that will support workers in providing the care residents need. The government must enact federal legislation to bring long-term care into the public health-care system following the principles of the Canada Health Act, along with conditions that provinces and territories would be required to meet in order to obtain federal funding. Read more

Once told he wouldn't graduate high school, doctor to be first Indigenous president-elect of CMA. ctvnews.ca, Aug 21: The road has been a long one for Dr. Alika Lafontaine, a successful anesthesiologist, and now the first Indigenous president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association. Read more

Physician mission: B.C. pressed to recognize qualifications of foreign-trained doctors. vancouversun.com, Aug 20: This province has a doctor shortage, and yet there are hundreds of foreign-trained physicians here who aren’t allowed to practise medicine. A new campaign wants to change that. Read more

Drinking alcohol at a young age associated with accelerated arterial stiffening. news.medical.net, Aug 23: Drinking alcohol during adolescence to young adulthood is associated with accelerated arterial stiffening, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. Certain behaviors can accelerate arterial stiffening. For example, previous research has shown that smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol are linked with stiffer arteries in teenagers. Read more

Covid: Pandemic alcohol abuse linked to depression rise. bbc.com, Aug 24: People drinking more alcohol during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to more suffering from depression and anxiety, a charity says. Motiv8 Addiction Services described it as a "lethal cocktail" as numbers have continued to climb since March 2020. 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

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