The office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada has been working with dental experts and organizations across the country to develop a report that analyzes the return to work for dental offices. The Canadian Dental Assistants Association was consulted on behalf of dental assistants, alongside a host of other national organizations.

Read the full report here.

The report set out with the goal of generating a single high-level national document that Canada's oral health authorities can consult to better understand a safe return to work, and to create consistent guidance for all dental practitioners. The nine key concerns were:

1. Which patients are at greater risk of the consequences of COVID-19 and so consideration should be given to delaying elective in-person oral health care?
2. What are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that dental professionals should screen for prior to providing in-person oral health care?
3. What evidence exists to support patient scheduling, waiting and other non-treatment management measures for in-person oral health care?
4. What evidence exists to support the use of various forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) while providing in-person oral health care?
5. What evidence exists to support the decontamination and re-use of PPE?
6. What evidence exists concerning the provision of aerosol-generating procedures (AGP) as part of in-person oral health care?
7. What evidence exists to support transmission mitigation strategies during the provision of in-person oral health care?
8. What evidence exists to support space ventilation strategies that reduce the risk of transmission?
9. What evidence exists to support the disinfection of surfaces in spaces in which oral health care is provided?

The research team studied recent literature and data, and have provided information and evidence for each of the key objectives. Read the full report on the safe return to work here.