Covid-19 Infection Rates Among Dentists

Most VA Dentists are members of the American Dental Association.  American Dental Association member dentists took part in a study of the number of dentists who had contracted COVID-19, as of November 13, 2020.  The survey showed a very low rate of contraction of the illness of 2.6%.    

A COVID-19 infection rate of 2.6% among dentists shows dentistry can be practiced safely even in the face of unprecedented challenges, as dentists follow the appropriate infection control guidance. That 2.6% figure is much smaller than the infection rate experienced by the public or even many other front-line health care workers. For example,  emergency medicine personnel, according to a BMJ report, experienced infection rates as high as 35%. Dentistry’s infection rate looks particularly low considering the multiple COVID-19 surges experienced at the state and local level throughout the pandemic.

VA Dentistry is held to extremely strict infection control practices as outlined in the document, “Infection Control Standards for VA Dental Clinics”.  This document is updated regularly as new information or science emerges.  VA Dental clinics have been following these strict infection control protocols and practices for many years, even before the pandemic. Often we are the leaders in setting the infection control standard for the rest of the nation’s non VA dentists.  Our adherence to these standards, and willingness to embrace enhanced standards, has helped keep VA Dentists, dental staff and our patients safe and healthy, as we continue to navigate through the pandemic and resume normal operations nationwide.