The impact of COVID-19 on dental hygienists ‘employment patterns underscores the need to adhere to infection control guidance and proper protection.
Dental hygienists have low COVID-19 infection rates and high vaccination acceptance reveals a new study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene. The new study is a part of collaborative research efforts between the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) on the impact of COVID-19 on employment, infection prevention, and vaccine acceptance among dental hygienists.
‘Dental hygienists have demonstrated the ability to mitigate COVID-19 risk while safely providing care.’
The data updated findings from a previous longitudinal study conducted over 12 months from September 2020 to August 2021 with a panel of 6,976 dental hygienists across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.“This study of dental hygienists has shown us the profound impact of COVID-19 on clinical practice, as well as the value of disease prevention measures,” said JoAnn Gurenlian, R.D.H., M.S., Ph.D., A.F.A.A.O.M., a lead author of the research and ADHA’s director of education and research.
Despite initial concerns that dental hygienists were at increased risk of COVID-19, the updated research shows they have a lower COVID-19 cumulative prevalence (8.8%) than the general U.S. population (11.7%).
Results also reveal that 75.4% of U.S. dental hygienists have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a higher proportion than the general public and healthcare workers outside of dentistry overall at the time.
Increased vaccine availability and greater supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) should further enable dental teams to continue to follow infection prevention measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
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However, the pandemic has impacted staffing levels in industries across the country, and the dental profession is not exempt.
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Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of new variants, the study authors believe opportunities exist for hygienists to play an important role in public health and safety.
However, there is a need for ongoing and increased education and policies to support the continued use of PPE and infection control and prevention procedures, as recommended by the CDC and required by government regulatory agencies.
Source-Medindia