Jinning County in China has many villages that surround caves hosting coronavirus-carrying bats. Blood samples were collected from 218 villagers in Jinning County in October 2015. Nearly 3% of these people’s blood samples carried antibodies against SARS-like coronavirus. But none of these villagers had come into direct contact with bats or expressed clinical symptoms. In fact, it’s the first recorded incident of bat-to-human transmission of coronavirus.
Covid-19 broke out from nowhere – an unforeseeable event with severe consequences. This pandemic resulted in the US and global recessions during the first half of 2020. The global economy was already fragile and vulnerable even before the pandemic. Covid-19 worsened the situation and is impacting every aspect of global trade. Even Dow Jones was shut down because of this pandemic. In fact, Dow Jones crashed from its historic achievement during the previous months. Almost every sector in the world is being affected by Covid-19 pandemic. Before we take a look at how Covid-19 is affecting the dental profession, we will look at how the pandemic is affecting the other sectors in terms of consumer behaviour.
The Present & Future Of Dentistry
The Dental Practices face a challenge that they haven’t been prepared for. No dental school would have envisioned a situation like the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the professional has been interrupted by a prolonged period of uncertainty. The present and future of dentistry depend on how the pandemic is handled by the respective governments across the globe.
Patient Management
Dental practices are making use of every possible method to inform their patients about the closure of their dental offices. They use mailers, social media, voice messages, and practice websites for this purpose. In fact, the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) has been instrumental in creating patient screening protocols to be used during these trying times. These protocols should be continued to be used even after the restrictions in the country are lifted.
Staff Management
Staff salaries are affected as a result of the temporary closure of many dental practices across the country. The staff has very limited options as far as finances are concerned. Most dental practice owners are financially compromised due to the uncertain situation in the country, and unemployment insurance could only partially meet their requirements. In fact, the steps taken by the federal government will be closely watched by everyone in the dental industry.
Hiring Hygienists And Associates
Dental graduates are uncertain about hiring hygienists and associates for their practices. The vacancies in the industry primarily serve only one purpose under the present situation and that is to replace an associate or hygienist who is exiting the practice. Dentists will watch the situation to see how patients respond to pandemic times. If the situation quickly recovers, there is going to be an urgency to hire staff and catch up for the lost time. In fact, dental corporations and practice owners will respond depending on how their financiers – banks – adjust to the new reality. While some practices will expand their business, others may postpone it to the future. Dental hygienists will have a tough time compared to associates. But the situation will hopefully improve soon. The current situation may not extend beyond a few months.
Dental Supply Companies
PPE or personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, gowns, and face masks are primarily being produced by big suppliers in China. The dependency on China is supposed to decrease in the coming months, and it is good news for manufacturers in the United States.
Conclusion
Most probably, the virus is going to stay with us for the foreseeable future. Behavioural changes like less travel, increased use of pneumococcal vaccines, reduced smoking, higher interest in online courses, social distancing, higher online sales and food ordering, and more should be implemented.