The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) recently requested active participation in ongoing discussions, deliberations and development of guidelines for dental facilities from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Advocating these four U.S. agencies is imperative to AGD because it must ensure the needs of its 39,000 members are fairly considered as proposed regulations and policies will affect the delivery of oral healthcare and the management of dental practices.

In support of point-of-care testing, AGD is petitioning these agencies for the discretionary authority for general dentists to conduct testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to screen asymptomatic persons before care. AGD is also advocating for reasonable and attainable guidelines with the recognition that all healthcare facilities and personnel assume a small amount of risk until the infectious disease is eradicated. AGD requests active, ongoing participation in the development of CDC guidance.

As states begin to re-open, AGD members will continue to practice with enhanced infection control to ensure patient safety, while protecting themselves and their staff as the U.S. continues to combat COVID-19.

Read the letters: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and Federal Emergency Management Agency