Dental schools and Covid

[ashleyfaviana]

Thoughts on whats happening to dental schools come fall?

 

[Zaandrei.]

I don't think there are any guidelines out yet from the CDC, Health Canada or RCDSO in Ontario; so no way for anyone to have made a concrete plan. Expect more limited clinical usage; +/- more PPE, more screening tools, potentially changes in the way the clinic is physically set up/used etc...

I'd expect them to come back; I know some schools will be transferring some of their classes to online curriculum where it can be done and rotating students through sim clinics to kinda spread things out at the moment. Come fall, who knows, things are changing week by week.

[HopefulDDS]

One American school's situation:

At Tufts, 3rd and 4th years will be returning for clinic June 1st. 1st years are virtual for the fall semester (decided a while ago) and today we were told 2nd years will also be virtual. There's been a lot of pushback from students, but because the clinic will be operating at half capacity the 3rd and 4th years will need to utilize the preclinical areas as well (while maintaining proper social distancing). This means there simply will not be room for 1st and 2nd years. The hope is to front load didactic courses and dedicate the winter to hand skills courses. Other Boston schools have stated similar plans as I am sure most dental schools have or will too.

There is an air of uncertainty with it all, but schedules are being finalized in June as the faculty have to start preparing for the Fall soon.

 

[tooth]

I’ve heard dental hygiene (Fanshawe specifically) is doing all didactic courses in the fall while the clinic gets retrofitted with partitions etc for the winter. 
 

I feel like we’ll know a lot more when dental clinics start to open 

[VivaColombia]

They still need to figure out the PPE situation...and the logistics of operating at half capacity with the new infection control protocols. On top of this, everyone is preparing for the 2nd wave, so any plans made now can be squashed rapidly if there is a peak of cases. Hope for the best where social distancing, rotating of students through sim is possible and enough patients for 3/4th year students, but plan for the worst case of delaying clinic indefinitely 

[Kelly Mwangi]

Yeah! I'm currently doing my dental internship through global electives port and now our classes going online. Just waiting for when this COVID will get vanished.

[AncientDentist]

I've heard from current 3rd year (going to 4th year) Western students that they may be put into the sim clinic until January. I know it can't be helped, but it totally sucks for them.

The situation for 1st and 2nd year students probably won't be affected much, except that won't be able to shadow/assist in the clinic until January

[VivaColombia]

On 6/2/2020 at 3:19 PM, AncientDentist said:

I've heard from current 3rd year (going to 4th year) Western students that they may be put into the sim clinic until January. I know it can't be helped, but it totally sucks for them.

The situation for 1st and 2nd year students probably won't be affected much, except that won't be able to shadow/assist in the clinic until January

Current talks are the 4th years will be in sim indefinitely until a vaccine is found or an adequate supply of PPE is available (highly unlikely). I wonder how the new 2020 dental grads are fairing currently 

[WomboCombo]

At UofT, the return to patient care is August 4. 

[VivaColombia]

5 hours ago, Steins;Gate said:

At UofT, the return to patient care is August 4. 

Doubt that'll happen...Toronto is a major hotspot, with minimal social distance compliance and limited PPE available. They said July 6th before and now state August 4, I doubt patient care will resume before September and that's a stretch. Fingers crossed for normal resumption before January 2021 though...

[WomboCombo]

59 minutes ago, VivaColombia said:

Doubt that'll happen...Toronto is a major hotspot, with minimal social distance compliance and limited PPE available. They said July 6th before and now state August 4, I doubt patient care will resume before September and that's a stretch. Fingers crossed for normal resumption before January 2021 though...

Grad clinics return in July. 50 percent occupancy for undergrad clinics in August probably for the rest of the school year with four handed dentistry at all times so aerosol production is minimized. They had debated allowing undergrads return in July but said we could take it off so we can return in August.

Without needing N95s, the school is no longer short on PPE as regular surgical masks will be provided per usual. Students will begin with treatment that is already in progress in August (inserts, try ins, emergencies, urgent tx) with minimal aerosol production, followed by the ability in September to start new treatment. 

[VivaColombia]

7 minutes ago, Steins;Gate said:

Grad clinics return in July. 50 percent occupancy for undergrad clinics in August probably for the rest of the school year with four handed dentistry at all times so aerosol production is minimized. They had debated allowing undergrads return in July but said we could take it off so we can return in August.

Without needing N95s, the school is no longer short on PPE as regular surgical masks will be provided per usual. Students will begin with treatment that is already in progress in August (inserts, try ins, emergencies, urgent tx) with minimal aerosol production, followed by the ability in September to start new treatment. 

If this actually happens, I'll be very impressed and glad that the schools are back to (somewhat) normal. Heres to being optimistic 

[WomboCombo]

23 minutes ago, VivaColombia said:

If this actually happens, I'll be very impressed and glad that the schools are back to (somewhat) normal. Heres to being optimistic 

It all depends on getting the ok from main campus! So yes, we shall see!

[longteethgriffy]

On 6/6/2020 at 6:38 PM, Steins;Gate said:

It all depends on getting the ok from main campus! So yes, we shall see!

please bro I never thought I would beg to go back to school but make it happen lol

[ObeseMan]

I'm hearing that several schools will be banning the use of loupes with faceshields.

[tooth]

2 hours ago, ObeseMan said:

I'm hearing that several schools will be banning the use of loupes with faceshields.

Oh wow - isn’t that what dentists are currently using? What was their reasoning? 

[ObeseMan]

8 hours ago, tooth said:

Oh wow - isn’t that what dentists are currently using? What was their reasoning? 

I know that dentists in private practice are using loupes and that many companies are coming out with loupe-compatible faceshields. I'm not sure, but I think it's because the schools are waiting on evidence-based guidelines supporting faceshield effectiveness with loupes.