Dr. White Urges CDC to Re-evaluate Dental Settings Guidance
AGD President, Dr. Connie White, DDS, FAGD, sent a letter on August 27 to the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Oral Health advocating for a return to May 2020 guidance language on N95 masks in its “Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Dental Settings During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.”
In the letter, Dr. White cited AGD’s concerns with the recent guidance updates substituting prior wording that dentists “consider the use of N95…” and strengthened it to “should use an N95...” during aerosol-generating procedures. AGD members, and the dental community at large, continue to experience PPE vendor supply shortages with the inability to procure N95 masks.
Prior Interim CDC Guidelines allowed for flexibility when N95s are not available, with a face-shield plus the highest-level mask available considered to be an acceptable alternative. AGD has requested that the CDC return to its less compulsory interim language in its guidance until the supply limitation of N95 masks is resolved, or scientific evidence establishes N95 masks as the minimum level of protection with no known acceptable alternatives. AGD has also reached out to key allies in Congress on this issue, requesting that they weigh in with the CDC to encourage a review of the current interim guidance language.
Impact on General Dentistry: The CDC’s most recent iteration of the dental settings guidance includes changes that the AGD considers challenging to attain and at odds with existing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. Clear and reasonable guidance, along with attainable regulations, are essential for general dentists to continue practicing and to inspire confidence in patients and staff that they are in a safe dental health care setting.
In the letter, Dr. White cited AGD’s concerns with the recent guidance updates substituting prior wording that dentists “consider the use of N95…” and strengthened it to “should use an N95...” during aerosol-generating procedures. AGD members, and the dental community at large, continue to experience PPE vendor supply shortages with the inability to procure N95 masks.
Prior Interim CDC Guidelines allowed for flexibility when N95s are not available, with a face-shield plus the highest-level mask available considered to be an acceptable alternative. AGD has requested that the CDC return to its less compulsory interim language in its guidance until the supply limitation of N95 masks is resolved, or scientific evidence establishes N95 masks as the minimum level of protection with no known acceptable alternatives. AGD has also reached out to key allies in Congress on this issue, requesting that they weigh in with the CDC to encourage a review of the current interim guidance language.
Impact on General Dentistry: The CDC’s most recent iteration of the dental settings guidance includes changes that the AGD considers challenging to attain and at odds with existing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. Clear and reasonable guidance, along with attainable regulations, are essential for general dentists to continue practicing and to inspire confidence in patients and staff that they are in a safe dental health care setting.