Dentists in Powell River will only be carrying out emergency procedures.
Powell River dentist Dr. Ryan Sinotte said there are guidelines that the BC Dental Association (BCDA) and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC) have published for dentists to follow. On March 16, the CDSBC strongly recommended that all elective and non-essential dental services be suspended. Patients with dental pain, swelling or infection will be triaged by their dentist for emergency care.
“I’ve spoken with several of the other dentists and we are checking in with each other to see what we should be doing and how we should be going about things,” said Sinotte.
“The overview of what they want offices to do is to close, or at least suspend all elective treatments and perform emergency treatments after a patient has been thoroughly triaged over the phone to determine if patients have symptoms of the virus, and whether it’s a true dental emergency.”
Further complicating dental coverage is the fact that Vancouver Coastal Health is notifying attendees of the Pacific Dental Conference 2020 at the Vancouver Convention Centre about a possible exposure to COVID-19 on March 6.
A person who has tested positive for COVID-19 attended the conference on March 6 between 2 and 4 pm. Sinotte said there are Powell River dentists and dental office workers who were in attendance at the conference and are self-isolating. Sinotte said dentists who attended the conference have closed their offices for 14 days, until Sunday, March 22, to monitor for symptoms. He did not have any specific information on who attended the conference, and is not aware of anyone who has symptoms of the virus. Patients do not have to self-isolate.
He said that as far as he knows, Dr. Smillie’s office has been opening periodically this week while following the guidelines of only treating emergency patients.
Sinotte said his own office was planned to be closed at this time for renovations.
“We had signage up saying we are closed, regardless, and basically, people can contact the emergency room or another dentist office in town,” said Sinotte. “Dr. Smillie has been holding the fort at the moment and he is able to be open at this time.”
Dental offices will have signage on their doors indicating what they are doing.
Sinotte said that anyone with a dental emergency who is showing symptoms of COVID-19 should call Powell River General Hospital first before presenting at the emergency department, or phone 811, and that doctors will do what they can for the tooth pain.
Once spring break is over, more dentists will be offering emergency care, according to Sinotte.
On March 19, Dr. Sinotte provided information in question and answer form from the BCDA regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
I went to the dentist the week after the dental conference, do I need to self-isolate?
No. Advice from the office of the provincial health officer indicates that only the dentists and dental staff who attended the dental conference need to self-isolate until Sunday, March 22.
How do dentists ensure that patients are protected from being infected?
Dental clinics are like mini-hospitals and are required to follow strict infection and exposure controls on an ongoing basis. Dentists comply with infection control standards set by the college. The BCDA has also provided dentists with an exposure control plan that outlines requirements for personal protection equipment (PPE) as a standard practice for managing all patients – all the time. Both of these documents are posted on the BCDA website under COVID-19.
If dental offices are so safe, why has elective and non-essential dental treatment been suspended indefinitely?
This was a prudent decision to adhere to the requirement for social distancing and mitigate unnecessary patient contact. On March 17, the provincial health officer declared a public health emergency, which means that all elective medical and dental procedures are suspended until further notice. Suspending these services ensures that protective equipment and essential human resources can be directed to critical care areas until the crisis has passed.
If dentists are responsible to treat dental emergencies, such as uncontrolled bleeding, infection, swelling or trauma/accident, how do I know I’m safe?
Dentists follow Infection control and exposure control guidelines as a regular course of practice. With the focus of containing the COVID-19 virus, until March 22, dentists who attended the dental conference are required to manage emergencies by phone first (prescribe antibiotics or pain relief as required). Dentists who did not attend the conference can provide essential as well as emergency care in their office now. After March 22, all dentists can provide essential as well as emergency care in their office following standard protocols if the patient does not have symptoms. If the patient has cold or flu symptoms, the dentist can treat the patient in their practice or refer the patient to a clinic or hospital with required PPE in place.
