Journal of the American Dental Association study finds COVID-19 rate among dentists less than 1%
A scientific article was recently published in the Journal of the American Dental Association finding that less than 1% of dentists in the United States were estimated to have been COVID-19 positive as of June, 2020, after dental offices reopened in most of the country. This is great news! It means that all of our preventive measures and careful practice to help stop the spread of COVID-19 seem to be working in dental settings to keep providers, staff, and our patients safe.
From the ADA Report:
"This is very good news for dentists and patients," said Dr. Marcelo Araujo, Ph.D., CEO of the ADASRI, chief science officer of the ADA and senior author of the report. "This means that what dentists are doing — heightened infection control and increased attention to patient and dental team safety — is working."
"Understanding the risks associated with COVID-19 transmission in the dental setting is critical to improving patient and dental team safety," Dr. Araujo said. "This study brings us another step forward in understanding what works. Dentists are following ADA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and it’s helping to keep the dental team and their patients as safe as possible."
"The fact that dentistry was named one of the most at-risk professions for infection, but has a far lower prevalence of infection compared to other health professions, is not a coincidence," said Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., chief economist and vice president of the ADA Health Policy Institute. "The profession has taken this issue extremely seriously, and it shows. We will continue to track the rate of COVID-19 among dentists and other facets of the pandemic affecting dentistry so it can help inform the dental profession and other industries as well."
At Advanced Dentistry, our whole staff are mindful both inside and outside of work to do our part to stop the spread and keep you safe. Let us know how we are doing and let us know how you are feeling! If you have any questions about our COVID-19 prevention protocols, please reach out to us. We are happy to walk you through our practices and make sure you feel comfortable coming in to see us.
For links to the full news stories, click here:
Check out the full JADA article published online here:
