The Georgia Dental Association (GDA) and American Dental Association (ADA) are aware of news articles being run about the World Health Organization’s guidance advising “routine non-essential oral health care — which usually includes oral health checkups, dental cleanings and preventive care — be delayed until there has been sufficient reduction in COVID-19 transmission rates.”
The GDA in conjunction with ADA has released a statement in direct response noting dentistry is Essential Health Care.” The GDA strongly disagrees with the World Health Organization’s position and is taking steps to monitor and address the media regarding this story.
We anticipate that these news articles may cause patients to have questions or be hesitant to schedule or keep dental appointments.
In order to be pro-active, the GDA and ADA are providing the following tools for your practice:
§ FAQ for patient calls. You and your staff can be ready to answer patient questions related to this news story or general pandemic concerns using this quick reference.
§ Patient Communication Toolkit. This may be a good time to reach out to patients and remind them of all that your practice is doing to ensure their safety.
If you or your practice is contacted by someone from the media in relation to this story, please reach out to GDA Senior Director of Communications/PR Carol Galbreath for messaging and support.