PERHAPS we can get some ideas in other places where lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
In New Mexico, United States, many dental clinics remain closed exactly because of safety concerns, for both patients and the dental staff.
This is one reason why other clinics that have opened have very busy schedules, some even extending clinic hours. Another reason is the backlog in the number of patients who have not dental checkups during the lockdowns; many are doctors, nurses and health front liners.
In the clinics that are open, the dental staff screen patients to screen for potential cases of coronavirus infection. Some are even screened before going to the clinic – online or through text or Messenger messages.
On-site interviews are also conducted. All these are done before a patient is allowed to walk into or even visit the dental clinic. And then again, temperature checks are taken at the entrance for signs of fever, a symptom of infection.
The dentist and the dental staff all wear Personal Protective Equipment or PPEs. Some even put surgical masks on top of the N-95 masks. No skin is exposed.
The New Mexico Dental Association (NMDA) has encouraged the opening of dental clinics, pointing out that dental care is essential beyond just emergency care.
Dentists are starting to provide that care, says Dr. Tom Schripsema, NMDA Executive Director. “It’s going to be a gradual start. It’s still going to take a while before they get back up to speed,” he says, adding that many clinics are struggling to get enough PPEs.
Some dental clinics may never reopen at all, says Dr. Schripsema. “We definitely have that concern.”
He says the longer lockdowns are extended, the more likely that dental clinics won’t be able to survive – just as other businesses are struggling to do. He estimates that if the lockdown in New Mexico state was not lifted until Aug. 1, nearly half of all dental clinics would have closed down.
That presents the very real prospect of a shortage in dental care. In New Mexico or elsewhere in other countries.
Because many dental clinics have opened up in New Mexico in the last five years, the state will be able to recover from a shortage, Dr. Schripsema says, except in some remote areas which even before the pandemic have faced issues in health care coverage.
Mind you, New Mexico’s GDP is $94.211 billion with an average income for residents of $25,000. With over 25,000 oil wells, much of its money comes from oil and gas. Two of the 100 largest oil fields in the United States are in New Mexico.
If dentists in New Mexico are struggling, we wonder how it is in other places.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists. Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./PN
