As Registered Dental Hygienists in Ontario we are writing with great concerns regarding the status of dental offices in Ontario amid the COVID-19 global health pandemic.

Currently, dental offices are not ordered to shut down. Currently, dentists and hygienists are NOT advised to reschedule elective procedures to any patients unless they show symptoms and have probable infection of COVID-19.

According to the WHO, the virus can be present for 14 days with no symptoms and still be highly contagious. COVID-19 is present in saliva. The instruments that dentists and dental hygienists use routinely produce aerosols that would be contaminated with the virus if a patient was a carrier, symptomatic or not. This would cause the virus to be transmissible throughout the entire office. Unless every single person in the office is wearing proper PPE, they are at risk of contracting it. Currently dental hygienists are considered to be the #1 at-risk health care provider, and dentists are #2, higher than nurses and doctors. If schools, events, trips, and etc are being closed and shut down, we call for the same treatment for dental offices.

The CDHO and RCDSO regularly tout their commitment to the health of the public, yet here they have dropped the ball. They are putting the health of practitioners and the public at risk. I do not have confidence that dental offices will close by choice, and given the poor guidance from our regulatory bodies thus far, I feel stronger action will need to be taken.

I, along with my peers, kindly request that this consideration be reviewed and acted upon. I thank you for your attention to this matter.