HHS on March 11 amended an emergency declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to permit dentists and dental students, among other providers, to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
The federal declaration allows licensed dentists nationwide to administer COVID-19 vaccines. At least 28 states allow dentists to administer COVID-19 vaccines, but the amendment overrules state laws that prohibit dentists from doing so, according to the American Dental Association.
"Dentists already have the requisite knowledge and skills to administer vaccines and observe side effects — and many do so on a daily basis," ADA President Daniel Klemmedson, DDS, MD, and ADA Executive Director Kathleen O'Loughlin, DMD, said in a Feb. 11 letter to HHS.
"Dentists are well educated in human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology, and are trained to administer intraoral local anesthesia. It is arguably more difficult to administer an inferior alveolar nerve block inside the oral cavity than to vaccinate an exposed arm and manage any side effects."
On March 11, the anniversary of the pandemic, President Joe Biden called on all states, tribes and territories to open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults by May 1.