Health

What is the ‘COVID-ified’ Future for Dentists?

Blood samples were taken from 218 people in the county of Jinning, China, in October 2015. The residents live around caves that have been found to host bats carrying SARS-related coronavirus. Results from the blood sample tests showed that almost 3% had developed immunity against SARS-like coronavirus. No villager had come into contact with the bats or showed any clinical symptoms. It was the first-ever recorded case of transmission of coronaviruses from bats to humans.

The Current Impact

COVID-19 was unprecedented. Similar to what the economists refer to as a black swan – an uncommon and unpredictable event with serious consequences. A global health crisis often causes worldwide and US recessions, which is what is happening in the first half of 2020. We were already experiencing the effects of a fragile economy that was already vulnerable to any event that didn’t stick to the script prior to the pandemic. COVID-19 was way unexpected. The coronavirus is expected to significantly affect all aspects of global business. This crisis shut down Dow Jones, then it unnerved it enough that it caused it to plummet 30% from its record high attained the previous month. Nearly all industries have suffered the effects of this pandemic.

Before delving into how COVID-19 has affected the dental profession, let’s take a brief look at its impact on other sectors in terms of business and consumer behaviour.

The Present and Future of Dentistry

Dental practitioners now face an unprecedented challenge. No type of dental school or management training course could have prepared them for such a situation, where there is an extended period of interruption.

Patient Management

Dental practice owners are utilising available forms of communication (voice messages, mailers, practice websites, and social media) to notify clients about the closure of offices for regular dentistry. Patient screening protocols, be it for teeth veneers in Fleet or whitening in London, including the one produced by the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), need to continue even after the lifting of restrictions.

Staff Management

The people who’ve been most affected by the closure of dental practices is the staff. Most of the employees don’t have many options when it comes to sources of income. While there is unemployment insurance, this only covers part of their requirements. And considering that most dental practice owners are tied financially, measures taken by the federal government in the coming weeks will have carefully monitored by all parties.

Hiring Associates and Hygienists

With the pandemic still going on, dental graduates have been thrown into confusion regarding the hiring patterns. Vacancies in this practice mainly serve one of the following two purposes; a replacement for an exiting associate corporate office expansion. When it comes to the replacement of an associate, most probably, the dentists will wait to see how the patients are responding. In case they happen to recover quickly, then the practice owners will be forced to hire more so as to compensate for the lost time. However, it may be much difficult for corporate jobs. Corporations and practice owners, will most probably respond depending on the way the financiers, such as banks, respond to the current situation. While some may choose to expand their practices, others may opt to put off any expansion plans. Though the situation might be unfavourable for dental hygienists at first, things are likely to get better soon. I can safely say that any such impact is likely to last only for the current hiring period and might not go beyond a few months.

Companies Providing Dental Supplies

Personal protective equipment (PPE), including gowns, gloves, gowns, face masks, goggles, in addition to diagnostic, cleaning, surgical, and wound care products, have been primarily produced by major Chinese manufacturers. Most definitely, this dependence on Chinese companies will decrease, which is great news for North American manufacturers.

Conclusion

Come what may, the virus will be with us for a long time. Changes in behaviour are expected, including reduced travel, less smoking, more online shopping, and food ordering, an increase in pneumococcal vaccine use, social distancing, increased interest and investment in online courses, more movies based on the outbreak of viruses and so on.

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