The majority of dentists indicated that the price of surgical masks has at least doubled, while 47 percent of dentists said the cost of gloves has at least tripled since the onset of the pandemic, according to the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute's latest poll.
For the week of Nov. 15, dentists were asked, "How much have prices changed for your practice since the onset of the COVID pandemic for the following items?"
Of 1,390 respondents, the following percentage described price rates as compared to the onset of the pandemic for certain personal protective equipment, as specified below:
N95/K95 masks
Stayed about the same: 9.7 percent
Up to 50 percent increase: 19.3 percent
Roughly doubled: 17.6 percent
Roughly tripled: 12.4 percent
Roughly quadrupled: 6.5 percent
Roughly five-time increase or more: 5 percent
Not sure: 29.5 percent
Surgical masks
Stayed about the same: 7 percent
Up to 50 percent increase: 23.8 percent
Roughly doubled: 28.3 percent
Roughly tripled: 16.5 percent
Roughly quadrupled: 6.5 percent
Roughly five-time increase or more: 3.4 percent
Not sure: 14.5 percent
Gloves
Stayed about the same: 3.1 percent
Up to 50 percent increase: 16.8 percent
Roughly doubled: 22.7 percent
Roughly tripled: 26.2 percent
Roughly quadrupled: 12.7 percent
Roughly five-time increase or more: 7.6 percent
Not sure: 10.9 percent