Ontario's dentists regard dental care as health care. With that in mind, the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) said it will provide dental care to all Ontario residents, regardless of their vaccination status.
In a news release issued Wednesday, the ODA said it wanted to clarify some misunderstandings that have come up.
One is that dentists are not allowed to reveal the vaccination status of their employees, such as dental hygienists. That is personal information that is protected by the Personal Health Information Protection Act, said the ODA.
At the same time, the ODA said that Ontario dentists have been leaders in terms of having strict infection prevention procedures so that everyone could get safe dental care despite the pandemic.
Just as important is the fact that the ODA is on record as endorsing, and encouraging, all health care workers to be vaccinated.
"Back in January, the ODA also pushed to get dentists, hygienists and dental staff early access to vaccines,” said a statement from ODA communications specialist Maggie Blood.
“Most dentists and their teams got their first shots in April and the majority have been fully vaccinated by now.”
Patients can rest assured all safety precautions are being taken to keep them protected throughout their appointment, said the ODA statement.
Also, throughout the pandemic, no known cases of COVID-19 have been linked to treatment at an Ontario dental office thanks to all the infection prevention standards in place. For more information on all these safety precautions, go to www.oda.ca.
