The Ohio State Dental Board (“Dental Board”) issued a COVID-19 advisory Monday, March 16, 2020, at the direction and request of Governor Mike DeWine. As a profession among the highest risk for both transmission and contraction of the coronavirus,[1] dental professionals are urged to take the following actions to help prevent the spread:

1. Contact the local Emergency Management Agency about sharing surplus personal protective equipment and supplies; and

2. Re-schedule certain elective procedures, including all routine hygiene appointments and most orthodontic procedures.

In addition to these two requests from Governor DeWine, the Dental Board has also recommended dental practices take additional measures to limit overcrowding and mitigate the risk associated with providing oral care. Some of those recommendations are as follows:

1. Use “cell phone triage” by allowing patients to interact with dentists about their oral health concerns via text messages and pictures;

2. Implement a detailed questionnaire that gathers information about flu-like symptoms and travel prior to scheduling patients for appointments;

3. Require patients to wait in their cars instead of the waiting area;

4. Stagger appointment times; and

5. Remove all magazines and toys from waiting areas.  

The advisory is available on the Dental Board’s website and can be accessed here. Guidance on the mitigation and prevention of the spread of COVID-19 is rapidly changing. Health care professionals should be constantly monitoring relevant sources for any updates or changes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Dinsmore health care attorney.

[1] See Lazaro Gamio, The Workers Who Face the Greatest Coronavirus Risk, The New York Times (March 15, 2020), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/15/business/economy/coronavirus-worker-risk.html.