There have been several updates from clinical leadership organizations affecting the dental industry, including COVID-19 protocol changes and advocacy for oral healthcare.
Eight updates:
- The CDC launched an app March 21 to help ensure dental practices are meeting infection control standards.
- The World Health Organization published a briefing March 16 that details the use of mercury-free products for proper oral care.
- CareQuest Innovation Partners partnered with Matter, a healthcare startup backer, to launch SMILE Health, a program designed to support early-stage startups prioritizing oral healthcare equity.
- Five dental organizations joined 57 other health groups asking legislators in a March 7 letter to allow the FDA to regulate synthetic nicotine products. The oral health groups who signed the letter are the American Dental Association; American Dental Education Association; American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research; American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology; and the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.
- The American Dental Hygienists' Association apologized for its role in systemic racism in a March 2 letter.
- Members of the National Institutes of Health and HHS pushed for more research and policy changes to address oral health inequities in a Feb. 26 article in The New England Journal of Medicine.
- The CDC updated its infection and control prevention measures for oral healthcare providers Feb. 8 and eased indoor mask guidance for the general public Feb. 25.
- The ADA signed a joint letter Feb. 4 asking lawmakers to include a student loan repayment program in its pandemic preparedness legislation.