Dear VDL,

Dentistry is already the safest medical profession. We were leaders on research, educating, mandating, and continuously updated universal precautions safety protocols. 

Universal precautions have a proven track record of keeping patients and our workforce safe, even in the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. To be clear, there have been ZERO diagnosed and/or reported cases of CoV2 transmission anywhere in the world that universal precautions followed.  

As dental professions, we are regulated by the Board of Dentistry, OSHA, CDC, ADA peer reviews, and even our malpractice carriers.  We are also hurting. Our incomes are down; insurance carriers aren’t paying for the additional cost we are facing to practice dentistry in the era of COVID-19. Some of us own our building while others rent space. Your guidelines do not differentiate what the employer or landlord is responsible for and who is responsible for complying. We have established reopening guidelines and instituted additional measures to keep ourselves, the workforce, and our patients.

We are screening our patients before they arrive, upon arrival and taking temperatures. VDA members are participating with VCU School of Dentistry on a weekly questionnaire to task our efforts, determine how many patients who present reported recovering from COVID-19, and tracking the health of our workforce. 

Dentists are professionals. Our training included disease transmission and prevention. These concepts are not foreign to us. We implement them every day. Despite what you might hear in the media, ZERO disease transmission has occurred from aerosols in a dental setting.

Respiratory transmitted diseases are what we do every day. While COVID-19 is at our doorsteps, we have already successfully prevented many other respiratory transmitted diseases like influenza type B, Tuberculosis, Legionnaires, Measles (rubéola), chickenpox, Group A streptococcus, Mumps, Pneumococcal meningitis, Pneumonia, SARS, MERS.  We others as well as bloodborne diseases that may become aerosolized if bleeding occurs during a procedure.  

Your measure, though well-intended, does not consider the impact your regulations will have on our ability to control other diseases under universal precautions or how your regulations may impact those of Virginia Board of Dentistry, OSHA, CDC, or our malpractice carriers.