The number of dentists reporting that their practice was open and operating as usual has been gradually declining over the last few months, according to poll findings from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Results come from the ADA's nationwide COVID-19 impact poll of more than 1,500 U.S. dentists for the week of Sept. 13.
When asked, "What is the current status of your dental practice?" 62.1 percent of respondents said "open and business as usual." This is compared to 64.8 percent the week of Aug. 16 and 67.7 percent the week of July 12.
About 37 percent of dentists this month said their practices were open but had lower patient volume than normal, compared to 34.1 percent the week of Aug. 16 and 31.4 the week of July 12.