September 17, 2020 | News

CHICAGO, U.S.: In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, dentists have been provided with strict infection prevention and control guidelines. These include ensuring the appropriate amount of personal protective equipment, reviewing sterilization and disinfection protocols, and allowing a fallow period between dental visits. However, since the aforementioned measures do not completely protect staff and patients from the inhalation of aerosols in dental settings, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry (UIC Dentistry) have engineered a novel method for aerosol mitigation that could be implemented in dental clinics worldwide.

September 14, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: Though it has been more than three months since dental practices in England began to reopen after lockdown restrictions were relaxed, guidance on how to safely treat dental patients continues to be updated. On 28 August, Chief Dental Officer (CDO) for England Dr Sarah Hurley wrote to dental practices across the nation, detailing the revisions made in the latest versions of Standard Operating Procedure: Transition to Recovery and COVID-19 Guidance and Standard Operating Procedure, which now include more validated evidence and expert consensus.

September 11, 2020 | News

Though the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has had an undeniably deleterious effect on many elements of the dental world, it has also opened up new possibilities for imagining how dentistry should be delivered. That is the contention of Dr Richard Watt, professor of dental public health in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, in a recent letter to The Lancet. Watt spoke with Dental Tribune International about how points of emphasis in dentistry may change in a post-pandemic world.

September 10, 2020 | News

PARIS, France: Today, the organisers of the Congrès de l’ADF, one of the largest and most important events on the dental calendar, announced that they have made the decision to cancel this year’s congress. The next French Dental Association (ADF) meeting will take place from 23 to 27 November 2021.

September 10, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: Dentists in Scotland have recently voiced their concerns over receiving stocks of free expired personal protective equipment (PPE). Since the Scottish government has failed to provide robust evidence to prove the safety of the out-of-date face masks provided by NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), the British Dental Association (BDA) has urged NHS NSS to make alternative arrangements for supplying PPE to dentists. In the meantime, it has advised dentists against using such masks, since doing so may pose significant risks to their health as well as to the health of their teams and patients.

September 2, 2020 | Education

FLINT, Mich., U.S.: “One team, one dream” is the motto of Dr. Akira Senda, president of the International College of Dentists (ICD). As the world has faced a challenging year owing to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Senda’s motto has resonated with ICD fellows worldwide, encouraging them to overcome the crisis and serve humankind together. In response to the pandemic, ICD has started an educational platform in order to connect with ICD fellows digitally.

September 1, 2020 | Events

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: After closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation, the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) has decided to reschedule the EuroPerio10 congress, which was planned to take place in June 2021. The event will now be held in the first half of 2022 at the Bella Center, Scandinavia’s largest multifunctional event venue, in Copenhagen. The final dates will be communicated as soon as they are confirmed.

August 31, 2020 | News

Prof. David Denning is professor of infectious diseases in global health at the University of Manchester and the chief medical adviser at DenScreen, a company providing a new screening system for dental patients developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, he discusses the principles underpinning DenScreen and explains how its antibody testing can provide benefits to dental practices and patients alike.

August 28, 2020 | Interviews

At this point during the COVID-19 pandemic, many dental offices have begun to adapt to the current situation and resumed their day-to-day work. However, there are many open questions in terms of this paradigm shift that relate to such topics as infection control, sterilisation monitoring and provision of emergency care. At IDEM 2020, Dr Pallavi Patil from India presented an online lecture on the importance of choosing the right protection and on overall transitions in dentistry during the pandemic. In an interview with Dental Tribune International, Dr Patil shared her expert opinion on the topic.

August 26, 2020 | News

TOKYO, Japan: A study conducted at a hospital in Tokyo has found that poor oral hygiene could lead to prolonged viral shedding in patients with COVID-19. In the study, it was observed that patients with inadequate oral health regimes returned positive results in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus long after their clinical recovery, leading the researchers to believe that oral hygiene could affect the accuracy of testing for the virus.

August 24, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: The dental industry has gone through many sudden and extreme changes since the start of the pandemic, and it is now evident that access to oral care will remain restricted in the months to come, which may result in new challenges and bring uncertainty to the dental profession. To help healthcare workers navigate the healthcare crisis, the UK government has recently awarded National Health Service (NHS) doctors and dentists a pay rise for their vital contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 21, 2020 | News

NEW YORK, U.S.: The benefits of aligner therapy for patients are clear, but the different treatment models that manufacturers offer have already shown various advantages and disadvantages during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Orthodontists around the world have embraced digital workflows since March, but one of the largest manufacturers has experienced significant growth in new case starts that begin with at-home impression kits and not with digital scans undertaken in dental clinics.

August 20, 2020 | Events

CHARLOTTE, N.C., U.S.: Dentsply Sirona has recently announced that its event Dentsply Sirona World 2020 will be transformed into localized in-person and globally available virtual events this fall. The new formats will offer expanded opportunities for earning continuing education credits and feature speakers in dentistry presenting engaging educational sessions across 12 unique tracks. The in-person program, originally scheduled for Oct. 1–3 in Las Vegas, will be postponed to a later date.

August 20, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: Social distancing and isolation measures introduced in countless countries during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have undeniably helped to curb the virus’s spread. One unintended and negative side effect, however, has been a rise in the incidence of domestic violence. A paper recently published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) sought to clarify what role dental professionals, particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeons, play in such situations and how they can better help patients who have been affected by this form of abuse.

August 19, 2020 | News

GENEVA, Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that dental settings may pose an even greater risk for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 than was previously thought, owing to the spread of the virus through airborne microparticles. It said that routine dental check-ups should be delayed in order to protect dental patients and staff; however, dental associations disagree.

August 14, 2020 | News

THE COLONY, Texas, U.S.: The reopening of dental offices around the world under the conditions of the new normal poses many questions for practice owners, such as how to ensure that only healthy patients come in for appointments. The answer may be an app called SignIn Online, which allows the remote screening of patients for COVID-19-related symptoms.

August 13, 2020 | News

GENEVA, Switzerland: When it comes to airborne pathogens, size matters. Scientists have written an open letter urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognise that SARS-CoV-2 could be spread through microdroplets that are small enough to remain airborne for extended periods. WHO responded by acknowledging that evidence of airborne transmission is emerging, but stopped short of changing its guidance or recognising the potential for airborne transmission outside of hospitals and dental settings.

August 13, 2020 | News

LONDON, UK: A report from Amnesty International, released last month, has revealed that more than 3,000 healthcare workers worldwide have died as a result of COVID-19. The organisation further stated that this figure is likely to be a considerable under-estimate as a result of under-reporting, prompting the American Dental Association to reassert its support for front-line healthcare workers throughout the world.