CDA members are asking how the state’s reopening will apply to dental practices. Get answers to questions about physical distancing, patient screening, the use of face coverings and other requirements that will continue in health care settings after June 15.

As trusted health professionals, dentists are positioned daily to discuss COVID-19 vaccination with their patients and the public, instill confidence about the COVID-19 vaccine and ultimately influence their patients’ decision-making about the vaccine.  

Cal/OSHA's current regulations on COVID-19-related screening, testing and quarantining apply to dentists, dental team members and other health care workers in California who are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, as well as to fully vaccinated patients who enter health care settings.

After nearly a year of compliance with complicated, and sometimes uncomfortable, COVID-19 protocols, many dental professionals are exhausted. However, fatigue with wearing mandatory personal protective equipment doesn’t change the regulations or the potential for serious risks.

With several promising vaccines for the new coronavirus in various stages of testing, California is developing its own vaccination plan for the state’s population. CDA is asking the state to revise its distribution plan to standardize the list of essential health care workers for the purpose of phase-1 distribution and to include oral health care providers on that list.

California-licensed dentists can now order face mask “kits” that include boxes of N95 respirator masks and level-2 surgical masks from The Dentists Supply Company, a subsidiary of the California Dental Association.

Learn if and how your practice can establish a respiratory protection program, a requirement for practices using N95 or equivalent masks.

Policies and practices that all dental office employees should follow to minimize exposure.

Which disinfectants that are effective against COVID-19 can I use in my dental practice?

The EPA recently released a list of disinfectants that are effective against COVID-19. You will need to use a disinfectant that also meets the requirements of the state dental board's infection control regulations. Reference list of EPA- and state-approved disinfectants.