April 15, 2021 | News

MILAN, Italy: Since the evidence of oral manifestations linked to SARS-CoV-2 is scarce, researchers have recently set out to fill the gap by investigating the presence and prevalence of oral conditions in people who had contracted COVID-19 and successfully recovered from it. They discovered that SARS-CoV-2 directly affects the oral cavity of COVID-19 survivors, which is manifested by a significant number of the patients developing salivary gland ectasia and other oral diseases after clinical recovery.

April 13, 2021 | News

BETHESDA, Md., U.S.: COVID-19 can cause a number of symptoms in the oral cavity, such as lesions, ulcerations and a loss of taste, and yet the role of the mouth in SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission is poorly understood. A study by an international team of scientists has found evidence that the virus infects cells in the mouth. This finding, the researchers say, shows that the oral cavity could play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 infection and underscores the need for adequate prevention measures in dental settings.

April 13, 2021 | News

JERUSALEM, Palestine: A May 2020 survey asked dentists located in the West Bank area about their preparedness to resume offering routine dental care after the practice closures that were necessitated by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The researchers published a study in February this year which found that the challenges that emerged during the pandemic showed that dentistry needed to adapt in order to be better prepared for future crises.

April 7, 2021 | News

Many of us react in quite different ways to changes happening around us. Take a moment to read this short account of what is not so much my change journey, but what it could mean to you, your practice, your team in becoming stronger and more flexible in response to change in an ever-changing environment.

April 6, 2021 | Business

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario, Canada: Septodont, a global pharmaceutical and medical device company specializing in dental pain management, has announced that its Canada-based pharma division, Novocol Pharma, will receive funding of over C$32 million from the Canadian government. The investment is part of a countrywide initiative to advance vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19 on a national level.

March 30, 2021 | News

BRUSSELS, Belgium: More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, its seismic impact on different elements of the dental profession is becoming clearer. In order to find out how it affected the workflows of periodontists and dental hygienists, the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) launched a survey back in May 2020 that invited these specialists to share their experiences. The EFP has now unveiled the preliminary findings of its investigation, and more detailed analysis will be published in the coming months.

March 25, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: Many understood the news of the first SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in late 2020 to represent a panacea in the global fight against the pandemic. In reality, a short list of rich countries had already purchased the lion’s share of doses that the makers of these vaccines will be able to produce in 2021—often before clinical trials were even concluded. Many countries are dependent on COVAX, the COVID-19 vaccines global access initiative that aims to distribute doses to healthcare workers and at-risk populations in the developing world. Scientists have pointed out that a lack of equitable distribution could harm global public health.

March 22, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: Exactly six months from today, the 2021 International Dental Show (IDS) is slated to open. The 39^th edition of the world’s leading dental trade fair was originally scheduled to take place from 10 to 13 March before the event organisers decided last December to postpone it to 22–25 September 2021. With clinically tested SARS-CoV-2 vaccines being rolled out across many countries, the prospects for IDS 2021 have now become a good deal rosier, leading the event organisers to declare that preparations are “going very well”.

March 17, 2021 | News

EDINBURGH, UK: The havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic across the world has meant that patient attendance levels at dental practices have dropped quite substantially since March 2020. Although government-mandated lockdowns have played a role in this outcome, new data released by Public Health Scotland has indicated that access to NHS dentistry services remains a point of concern in the country.

March 17, 2021 | News

GENEVA, Switzerland: Like other oral health professionals, dentists are front-line workers who provide an essential healthcare service. Accordingly, many countries have included dentists in priority vaccination groups. But what about allowing dentists to administer SARS-CoV-2 vaccines? A recent survey conducted by FDI World Dental Federation revealed that only one-third of the responding countries permitted vaccine administration by dentists. In light of the results, FDI has urged more countries to enable dentists to administer the vaccines.

March 12, 2021 | News

WAHINGTON, U.S.: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is amending an emergency declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to authorize additional providers, including dentists and dental students, to vaccinate patients for COVID-19 nationwide, according to a March 11 announcement in the Federal Register.

March 12, 2021 | News

CHICAGO, U.S.: As no studies have reported on the SARS-CoV-2-associated experiences of dental hygienists in the U.S., the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) together conducted a survey to investigate infection prevalence, infection prevention and control procedures, and associated trends in mental health. They found that the infection rate among dental hygienists was lower than in nondental health care workers, but higher than in the general U.S. population. A significant number of respondents reported elevated anxiety and depression.

March 11, 2021 | News

If you ask a dental patient to which member of the dental team we should give our thanks, many of them would say to dentists and dental nurses. What do you think is the correct answer? I assume we all agree that dentists cannot provide an appropriate healthcare service without their team. Members of the dental team who are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) are clinical dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental nurses, dental technicians, dental therapists, dentists and orthodontic therapists. Unfortunately, it seems to me that some members of this team have not been treated equally during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, I want to talk about dental technicians as an integral part of the dental team.

March 9, 2021 | News

MELBOURNE, Australia: In Australia, a lack of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases has meant that many elements of life have regained some semblance of normality. A case in point is the upcoming ADX Melbourne, the 2021 iteration of Australia’s largest dental exhibition, which will feature both a virtual component and a physical symposium for dental professionals who can make it to Melbourne in person.

March 4, 2021 | Business

LEIPZIG, Germany: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has already proved to be the greatest challenge that dental manufacturers have faced. The oral health giants Dentsply Sirona, Henry Schein and Envista Holdings all showed strong signs of recovery in their fourth-quarter results for 2020. It seems that the Straumann Group is not the only major market competitor to have seen growth in dental sales return late last year.

March 4, 2021 | Business

LEIPZIG, Germany: In-person dental events have not taken place during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the industry is eager to resume this kind of interaction between manufacturers, dealers and dental teams. Located in the heart of the German city of Leipzig, one venue has raised its hand to host dental events of the future.

March 3, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: Since the COVID-19 pandemic has severely restricted access to clinical practice, students around the world have been adversely affected by the far-reaching consequences the pandemic has had on dental education. To make the most of the current situation, numerous schools have instituted video and virtual platforms in order to familiarise students with standard clinical procedures. However, the knowledge gained through online learning is limited, and some students are now being asked to repeat the 2020–2021 academic year in order to complete the necessary clinical training. To this end, some dental schools have announced that they will not be admitting new students in 2021.

March 2, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: At this point, it has become clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced dental patient numbers. It follows naturally from this, then, that the financial performance of many dental practices has likewise taken a hit. A common method of protecting one’s business against certain disruptions—business interruption (BI) insurance—has now become a point of focus in courts across the world, as its validity is being assessed in the context of these difficult times.