COVID-19

Fallow Time Impact on Operatory Turn Over and Clinical Notes Completion

The topic of air quality was discussed in the last maxill blog post. The article outlined the varying provincial and territory guidelines on obtaining Air Change Per Hour (ACH) testing and applying the numerical value to determining a fallow time.

Read More »

Air Changes per Hour and Fallow Times Based on Geographical Regions

Air quality has surfaced as a hot topic in the pandemic control measures for dental offices. Air quality falls under Additional Precautions in a dental offices IPAC Program. Pre-pandemic, offices were following Routine Practice covering hand hygiene, sharps safety, risk management and personal protective equipment. Additional precautions are just that, an addition to the routine practice. Additional precautions are required during respiratory viral outbreaks such as SARS COV-19.

Read More »

dentalcorp - Providing Patient Care in the New Normal

Julian Perez, hosts a panel discussion with Registered Dental Hygienists, Michelle Aubé-Simmonds and Theresa Cullen, exploring their experiences returning to work and providing patient care in a post-COVID-19 world.

To watch the full video on YouTube CLICK HERE

Read More »

dentistryiq.com - Dental Hygiene and Infection Control

Spread your infection control knowledge and slow the spread of COVID-19 - Dental hygienists are experts in prevention—yes, prevention of disease, but also of infection. By incorporating basic PPE and hand hygiene information into our patient education, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 while a vaccine is developed.

To read the full article by Joy McCarthy, RDH CLICK HERE

Read More »

Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

Statement July 27, 2020 - Ottawa, ON - Public Health Agency of Canada OTTAWA – In lieu of an in-person update to the media, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, issued the following statement today: “There have been 113,911 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 8,890 deaths. 87% of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada have tested over 3,801,000 people for COVID-19 to date. Over the past week, an average of 44,000 people were tested daily, with 1% testing positive and an average of 510 cases being reported daily from across the country.

Read More »

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - Applying the precautionary principle to personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic: did we learn the lessons of SARS?

On 24 March 2020, the World Health Organization warned that the “chronic global shortage of personal protective gear is among the most urgent threats to virus containment efforts” in the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.1 In response, actions have been taken by agencies and institutions to conserve current supplies while attempting to procure more personal protective equipment (PPE).

Read More »

UCSF School of Medicine - Covid-19: How the Virus Gets in and How to Block It: Aerosols, Droplets, Masks, Face Shields, & More

In this Covid-19 Medical Grand Rounds (July 16, 2020), three world experts discuss a variety of issues surrounding how the coronavirus moves from person to person, how best to block viral spread, and the potential that mask-wearing may not only prevent infection but also lead to a milder clinical course. The questions regarding aerosol vs. droplet transmission and the value of wearing masks and/or face shields are central to formulating public health strategies as well as to inform the personal decisions that each of us makes every day. The session is hosted by UCSF Department of Medicine chair Bob Wachter.

Read More »

Gowns, Gowns and more Gowns!!!

A summary discussion on product selection of gowns

The routine practice of PPE selection is based on a proper risk assessment. This involves choosing the appropriate uniforms, shoes, gloves, surgical masks, respirator masks, eye protection, face shields, gowns, hair caps and shoe covers. Depending on the practice setting, this entire line up may be your ‘norm’ or it may be a new PPE shopping experience if you were not using the complete PPE spectrum in the past. As the line up of PPE expands, decisions need to be made on specific products and their performance. This is simple when the products are regulated, and with any luck, that regulation includes registration with Health Canada (or FDA for USA) or at least inclusion in a medical class device listing.

Read More »

Do You Have A Hand Hygiene Program?

A hand hygiene program is embedded within the contents of an office's IPAC Program and is often ill-defined. Dental offices may be performing hand hygiene tasks, have procured the necessary products and posted directions for proper hand hygiene, however, it goes much further than this.

Read More »

DUWL Regimen and Product Selection During Extended Closure of a Dental Practice

In the last article, I discussed the need to reflect on DUWL as part of the pre-planning to eventually return to practice once the coronavirus pandemic emergency state is lifted. I received many inquiries on product selection ranging from a regular maintenance program to the ‘oh no my DUWL biofilm is out of control’ action program.

Read More »