On May 18, Governor Baker released the findings of the Reopening Advisory Board, along with guidelines and criteria developed through input from the Provider Advisory Group, which included representatives from the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS). In Phase 1—expected to begin Monday, May 25, 2020—dental offices will be eligible to expand services to include emergent and likely to become emergent if deferred cases. In preparation for this expansion of dental treatment, the MDS, in collaboration with leaders of each of the Massachusetts dental specialty organizations, has created a resource document to assist providers in identifying situations that are likely to fall into Phase 1 treatment. (Updated 5.26.2020.)
In Phase 1, dental offices will be eligible to expand services to include emergent and likely to become emergent if deferred cases. In preparation for this expansion of dental treatment, the MDS, in collaboration with leaders of each of the state dental specialty organizations, has created a resource document.
The ADA has developed the Return to Work Interim Guidance Toolkit, a resource that recommends measures to take to help protect patients, staff, and dentists from COVID-19 as practices reopen and begin to provide more than emergency and urgent care.
The MDS has verified with the DPH and BORID that dentists are not required to submit their attestation forms to anyone, but they are required to maintain a copy and make it available upon request. The attestation form requirement applies only to community health centers that are ready to open before May 25.
Even when dental providers take precautions and screen emergency patients for COVID-19 symptoms, the CDC recommends that dental providers contact all patients who received emergency dental care 48 hours after treatment and ask patients if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19.
Following the MDS’s strong recommendation that dental offices close to patients seeking elective or non-urgent care, the MDS has released interim guidelines to help dentists determine which procedures are considered emergencies and which are considered non-urgent.
The ADA has released Interim Mask and Face Shield Guidelines on the PPE recommended in order to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and to minimize the risk of virus transmission.
