COVID-19 Information and FAQs

CDA's updated COVID-19 Prevention Plan reflects the revised Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards that took effect June 17. Dental practices must either develop a new written prevention program for COVID-19 or add specific elements to their existing IIPP.

The landscape for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine continues to move quickly, and there are still many unknowns and changes taking place. Here, find the latest information dentists need to know.

Get answers to commonly asked questions regarding the temporary scope expansion permitting dentists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Dentists will unlikely be able to administer in their practices, but can be instrumentally helpful in mass vaccination community events launching soon.

Recent calls to CDA Practice Support reveal that dentists are unclear about quarantine and other requirements related to COVID-19 exposure. CDA’s Clinical Care Workgroup developed resources specifically to help dentists practice in the current pandemic environment while complying with Cal/OSHA and other regulations.

California dental staff are slated to be among the first in the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. See who is included in each phase and how Phase 1a was determined. 

With the surge in COVID-19 cases quickly accelerating, learn what CDA is doing to advocate for dentists and what steps members can take to mitigate risk in the dental practice.

CDA’s latest consumer research survey follows up on a June report tracking patient comfort with returning to the dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted mid-August, the survey revealed that most patients with an appointment in the next six months plan to keep it. It also shows how income plays a significant role in determining which patients are more likely to visit the dentist and what safety messages help reassure patients.

Below, view the results of ADA’s Health Policy Institute’s recent survey on consumer sentiment toward visiting the dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic. The July 2020 survey found that most people are comfortable with going to the dentist and details what it would take to get reluctant patients to return. It also reports how soon patients would book their next appointment as well as their willingness to go to the dentist if a positive coronavirus case was traced back to a local dental office.

Good Morning America covers the latest in CDA and ADA’s response to the Aug. 3 guidance from the World Health Organization advising that routine non-essential oral health care be delayed.

In the graphic below, find the results of CDA's consumer research survey conducted in June 2020 to measure patients' comfort levels with dental appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic. CDA plans to conduct an additional survey in August to continue to monitor consumers' comfort with dentistry during the pandemic.