Dentists Should Stop Seeing Patients: IL Dental Group

ILLINOIS — Amid the closing of bars, restaurants and schools, a group is calling for another round of closures: dentist's offices. The Illinois State Dental Society is urging dentists to stop seeing patients starting this week, with the exception of emergencies.

"ISDS is following the lead of Gov. Pritzker by keeping in unison with the restrictions he has imposed to protect the health of the public," the society said in a statement. "Dentists are in one of the highest risk categories for transmission and contraction of the virus, with many routine dental procedures potentially transmitting the virus via aerosolization of fluids."

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The ISDS issued these recommendations, effective March 17 to March 31:

• Treat only patients requiring emergency dental procedures.
• Postpone elective dental treatment and procedures.
• Preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for emergency dental situations. This action will also preserve the limited supply of PPE so it can be used for urgent and more complex medical care that will be needed in our healthcare system.
• Communicate the utmost importance of the health and safety of our patients, the dental team and our community in implementing these measures

"In the next two weeks, we anticipate that the Centers for Disease Control, American Dental Association and Illinois Department of Public Health may establish additional safety measures above and beyond our already comprehensive universal standards of infection control," the statement said. "We also recognize that dentists, as small business owners, have families and employees who rely on us. By taking these additional precautions, we hope to minimize the long-term impact on our offices by the spread of this virus."

The dental society has also canceled its March 27 Dental Leaders' Conference and May 5 Access to Care Conference.

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