WHO's Statement About Your Routine Dental Checkup
The World Health Organization recently released a statement advising people to delay routine dental work in countries that have widespread community transmission of COVID-19.
However, some news outlets in Canada have taken this story out of context, reporting that patients here at home should put off their regularly-scheduled oral health care in favour of remote consultations with their dentists.
At the moment, this is simply not true in Canada.
Canadians are free to access all dental services
While we are available to our patients remotely if desired, the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) clarified that this new statement from the WHO is not relevant to Canadians at this time.
The WHO’s statement specifies routine maintenance should be put off “until there has been sufficient reduction in COVID-19 transmission rates from community transmission to cluster cases or according to official recommendations at national, sub-national or local level.”
At this point, Canadians are only experiencing cluster-contained outbreaks. This means Canadians are free to access dental treatment for routine oral health care, including cleanings, checkups, and aesthetic or elective operations.
According to the release from the CDA, “Canadian dentistry has among the highest infection control standards in the world and takes its guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and the dental regulatory authorities in each province.”
Because of this, and because Canada is in a cluster-contained outbreak stage, we encourage everyone in Lethbridge and Southern Alberta to continue to seek routine dental services to maintain your oral health.
Keeping us all safe
As oral health professionals, we have always been very mindful about proper cleaning and sterilization practices, from our equipment to our office. However, with the pandemic, we have stepped up our sanitation efforts, and followed all recommendations by the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and the dental regulatory authorities here in Alberta.
The extra steps we’ve taken to curb the transfer of COVID-19 include:
Wearing face masks
Asking all patients to wear masks in the sitting room
Decreasing the number of patients in the sitting room
Increased cleaning between visits
Self-assessments for all patients and employees
For more information on the precautions we’re currently taking, as well as our self - assessment tool, click here.
Never delay emergency or vital oral care visits
Even though Alberta is at this time experiencing contained-cluster outbreaks, we understand that some people may still feel uncomfortable coming in for their routine dental check-ups and cleanings. However, it’s important to keep in mind that your oral health is directly related to your overall well-being, so delay is never a great option if it can be avoided. And remember to never put off a vital oral care visit. It’s essential to seek out dental care for emergencies including pain that doesn’t respond to pain-killers, facial impacts, or if oral problems impede your daily life.