ODHA – providing information and sharing helpful resources to assist members.
ODHA is working with the oral health regulators and associations, providing a voice for Ontario dental hygienists. Ultimately, the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO) provides the guidance, expectations and requirements for the profession. Guidance is posted on the CDHO website. ODHA will continue to assist members and provide new professional development opportunities to keep Ontario dental hygienists informed.
In addition to its guidance on returning to work, CDHO has also released supplemental guidance on the Inclusion of Tele-dental in Dental Hygiene Practices, the extended use of N95 masks/respirators during a supply shortage and isolation gowns. ODHA encourages dental hygienists to routinely check for updates to the CDHO COVID-19 page. You can also check for updates to the RCDSO COVID-19 page.
Questions and Answers about COVID‑19
The Canadian Medical Association, along with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada has a website to answer your questions about COVID-19.
ODHA continues to participate in the Ministry of Health Emergency Operations Centre’s updates – these updates are weekly.
Resources:
- National Advisory Committee on Immunication (NACI) Initial guidance on a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada (published April 5, 2022)
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Recommendations on the use of Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 to 11 years of age (updated March 17, 2022)
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Rapid response: Updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccination timing for individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 (updated February 4, 2022)
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Updated recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in adolescents 12-17 years of age (updated January 28, 2022)
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Updated recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in children 5 to 11 years of age (updated January 25, 2022)
- Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health (PCMCH) patient information sheet – I am pregnant or breastfeeding. Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine?” (updated January 25, 2022)
- Case Definition – Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) (updated January 17, 2022)
- COVID-19 guidance for prioritizing health care workers for COVID-19 vaccination
- Government of Canada’s Novel coronavirus infection frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- Government of Ontario’s general COVID-19 website
- Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Operations Requirements: Health Sector Restart
- Public Health Ontario website
- The Ontario Ministry of Health’s website for health-care professionals
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) situation summary
- The World Health Organization (WHO) situation reports
- Johns Hopkins global coronavirus map
Articles:
- 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: A cohort study
- Assessment of protection against reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 among 4 million PCR-tested individuals in Denmark in 2020: a population-level observational study
- A cluster of COVID-19 infections indicating person-to-person transmission among casual contacts from social gatherings: An outbreak case-contact investigation
- A Dozen Misguided Influencers Spread Most of the Anti-Vaccination Content on Social Media
- Age-dependence of healthcare interventions for COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada
- A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: Implications for supporting psychological well-being
- Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1
- Antibody tests for identification of current and past infection with SARS‐CoV‐2
- A Rapid Review of disinfectant chemical exposures and health effects during COVID-19 pandemic
- Association between nursing home crowding and COVID-19 infection and mortality in Ontario, Canada
- Association between universal masking in a health care system and SARS-CoV-2 positivity among health care workers
- Attitudes, behaviours and barriers to public health measures for COVID-19: a survey to inform public health messaging
- Brief Report: The Virucidal Efficacy of Oral Rinse Components Against SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro
- Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health Webinars:
1. Developing a COVID-19 vaccine
2. Blood plasma therapies for COVID-19 - Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China
- Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases beyond health-care professionals or social and health-care facilities
- CADTH lecture – Open Science: COVID-19 and beyond
- CADTH webinar: Community-based aerosol transmission Of COVID-19 and HVAC systems
- CADTH webinar: Surviving the COVID-19 infodemic – Can you trust dr. google?
CADTH (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health) is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing Canada’s health care decision-makers with objective evidence to help make informed decisions about the optimal use of drugs and medical devices in our health care system. CADTH receives funding from Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments, with the exception of Quebec - Can mouthwashes or nasal sprays protect healthcare workers and patients from COVID-19 infection?
- CDC guidance for dental settings – Interim infection prevention and control guidance for dental settings during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Updated Aug. 28, 2020
- CDC offers guidance for those fully vaccinated against COVID
- Centre for Effective Practice – Vaccines at a glance
- Characterization of myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19
- Clinical characteristics of 58 children with a pediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2
- Clinical course and molecular viral shedding among asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community treatment center in the republic of Korea
- Clinical features of the first cohort of patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus
- Cochrane Rapid Review examines travel-related control measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic
- Cochrane Rapid Review investigates the effectiveness of screening for COVID-19
- Comparative analysis shows remdesivir cuts death risk in severe COVID-19
- Comparison of clinical and epidemiological characteristics of asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection: A multi-center study in Sichuan Province, China
- Considerations for community-based health care workers on interpreting local epidemiology
- Coronavirus COVID-19 impacts to dentistry and potential salivary diagnosis
- Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) – Implications for clinical dental care
- Coronavirus: Health Canada issues warning over counterfeit N95 respirators
- Coronavirus infections – More than just the common cold
- Correlation between N95 extended use and reuse and fit failure in an emergency department
- Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections?
- Covid-19 and loss of smell: Harvard researchers uncover why it happens
1. https://www.health24.com/Medical/Infectious-diseases/Coronavirus/covid-19-and-loss-of-smell-harvard-researchers-uncover-why-it-happens-20200730-7
2. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/31/eabc5801 - COVID-19 Transmission Through Large Respiratory Droplets and Aerosols… What We Know So Far
- COVID-19 prevalence and related practices among dental hygienists in the United States
- COVID-19 cruise ship studies reflect unique disease traits
- COVID-19 – Emerging and future challenges for dental and oral medicine
- COVID-19 for oral health care professionals (Updated April 9, 2020)
- COVID-19 mortality risk for older men and women
- COVID-19 most contagious in first 5 days of illness, study finds
- COVID-19 pandemic unlikely to ebb as weather warms
- COVID-19 – The big questions 6 months on
- COVID-19 vaccines test safe & effective by China & UK teams: The Lancet
1. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/covid-19-vaccines-test-safe-amp-effective-by-china-amp-uk-teams-the-lancet-858994369.html
2. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31604-4/fulltext
3. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31605-6/fulltext - COVID-19 vaccine coverage in health-care workers in England and effectiveness of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against infection (SIREN): a prospective, multicentre, cohort study
- COVID meta-analysis: No benefit from convalescent plasma
- Dentistry and coronavirus (COVID-19) – Moral decision-making
- Dentists: Stress from COVID-19 leading to an uptick in teeth grinding
- Do measures that aim to reduce aerosol production during dental procedures prevent the transmission of infectious diseases?
- Early transmission dynamics
- Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines Against COVID-19 Among Hospitalized Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, January–March 2021
- Efficacy and safety of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
- Emergence of genomic diversity and recurrent mutations in SARS-CoV-2
- Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study
- Employment patterns of dental hygienists in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Estimating COVID-19 prevalence and infection control practices among US dentists
- Estimation of viral aerosol emissions from simulated individuals with asymptomatic to moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Ethnic differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related hospitalisation, intensive care unit admission, and death in 17 million adults in England: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform
- Evaluation of Cloth Masks and Modified Procedure Masks as Personal Protective Equipment for the Public During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of surveillance and containment measures for the first 100 patients with COVID-19 in Singapore — January 2–February 29, 2020
- Evidence to support safe return to clinical practice by oral health professionals in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: A report prepared for the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada (November 2020 update)
- Evolution of altered sense of smell or taste in patients with mildly symptomatic COVID-19
- Experiences of health care during COVID-19 reported by Canadians
- Face Mask Use in the Community for Reducing the Spread of COVID-19: A Systematic Review
- Factors associated with non-adherence to social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic: a logistic regression analysis
- Factors associated with surgical mortality and complications among patients with and without coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Italy
- First dose of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in a Health Care Worker cohort is associated with reduced symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection
- Frequency of children vs adults carrying severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 asymptomatically
- Genomic evidence for a case of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2
- Guidelines for dental care provision during the COVID-19 pandemic
- High expression of ACE2 receptor of 2019-nCoV on the epithelial cells of oral mucosa
- Hindsight is 2020 vision: a characterisation of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2
- How effective is temperature taking at borders or in general as a screening tool to identify people who may have COVID-19 and need to take appropriate action? (14 May 2020)
- How far does COVID-19 spread through air? Study monitors virus in hospital rooms
- IFDH COVID-19 survey results
- Interventions to reduce contaminated aerosols produced during dental procedures for preventing infectious diseases
- Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness during COVID-19 physical distancing measures: A rapid systematic review
- IPAC Recommendations for Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Care of Individuals with Suspect or Confirmed COVID-19
- JAMA Livestream Video: Coronavirus update with CDC Director, Robert R. Redfield, MD
- JAMA Livestream Video – The next COVID-19 phase
Q&A with Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, of UMN’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy - Key features of influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and other common respiratory viruses
- Lessons from the first wave of COVID-19
- Light, wavelengths, and inactivating COVID-19
- Living hub of covid-19 knowledge hubs
- McGill researchers publish evidence to support safe return to clinical practice
- Media representations of COVID-19 public health policies: assessing the portrayal of essential health services in Canadian print media
- Medical masks vs N95 respirators for preventing COVID-19 in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
- Mid-pandemic, expert-led COVID-19 monitoring website shifts focus from health system to household planning. Major website refresh offers community level data at a glance or in your inbox.
- NIH study finds that people with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may have a low risk of future infection
- NIH study validates decontamination methods for re-use of N95 respirators
- Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Where are we now, and where should we be going?
- Novel coronavirus structure reveals targets for vaccines and treatments
- Optimization of N95 respirator masks during supply shortages – Round-up
- Oropharyngeal secretion as alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection
- Patently false: The disinformation over Coronavirus patents
- People ‘shed’ high levels of coronavirus, study finds, but most are likely not infectious after recovery begins
- Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents
- Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Placenta lacks major molecules used by SARS-CoV-2 virus to cause infection
- Point-of-care diagnostic tests for influenza in the emergency department: A cost-effectiveness analysis in a high-risk population from a Canadian perspective
- Possible aerosol transmission of COVID-19 and special precautions in dentistry
- Presenting characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes among 5700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New York City area
- Pre-treatment mouth rinses for dental patients with suspected SARS or COVID-19: Clinical effectiveness and guidelines
- Prevalence of taste and smell dysfunction in coronavirus disease 2019
- Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period
- Public mobility and social media attention in response to COVID-19 in Sweden and Denmark
- Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 transmission suggests epidemic control with digital contact tracing
- Quarantine alone or in combination with other public health measures to control COVID‐19: a rapid review
- Rapid Decay of Antibodies:
1. Study: COVID-19 antibodies decay quickly after mild illness
2. Rapid decay of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in persons with mild COVID-19 - Rapid point-of-care antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection
- Real-world studies find COVID vaccines cut infection, hospitalization
- Researchers face hurdles to evaluate, synthesize COVID-19 evidence at top speed
- Renowned epidemiologist Dr. David N. Fisman returned to CSAE (Canadian Society of Association Executives) with a follow-up session on COVID-19. Dr. Fisman’s message was clear that the next several months, through the fall of 2020, will continue to present challenges with a second wave of COVID-19 almost certain. Listen to the webinar.
- Risk factors for intensive care unit admission and in-hospital mortality among hospitalized adults identified through the U.S. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET)
- Risk of severe COVID-19 among workers and their household members
- Saliva: Potential diagnostic value and transmission of 2019-nCoV
- SARS-CoV-2 failure to infect or replicate in mosquitoes: an extreme challenge
- SARS-CoV-2 transmission from people without COVID-19 symptoms
- “Solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments
- Study finds no COVID-19 benefit for convalescent plasma
- Study shows pandemic affecting Canadians’ consumption of alcohol and cannabis &
Covid-19 pan-Canadian tracking study - Study: Women Suffer More from COVID-related Orofacial Pain
- The COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END)
- The COVID-19 pandemic in Norway and Sweden – threats, trust, and impact on daily life: a comparative survey
- The evidence of indirect transmission of SARS-CoV-2 reported in Guangzhou, China
- The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the utilization of emergency dental services
- The need of health policy perspective to protect healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic. A GRADE rapid review on the N95 respirators effectiveness
- The Potential for Cloth Masks to Protect Health Care Clinicians From SARS-CoV-2: A Rapid Review
- Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice
- Trial data support dexamethasone, but not hydroxychloroquine, for COVID-19
- Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
- University of Toronto tests confirm first mask that deactivates Coronavirus and TRIOMED: Active surgical and medical mask
- Updated Cochrane Rapid Review assesses the effectiveness of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Virucidal efficacy of different oral rinses against severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2
- Vitamin D status in hospitalized patients With SARS-CoV-2 infection
- What is the incremental benefit of using a history of sudden loss of taste (ageusia) and/or smell (anosmia) in symptom screening to identify people who may have COVID-19 and need to take appropriate action? (14 May 2020)
- What is the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in hospital and long-term care settings, and the impacts of hospital-visitor policies?
- What makes a good mask? Let’s uncover the facts
- What you should know about drug treatments for COVID-19
- When lockdown policies amplify social inequalities in COVID-19 infections: evidence from a cross-sectional population-based survey in France
- Which types of non-medical masks are effective in community settings for reducing the spread of COVID-19 for different populations and under different conditions?
Fact sheets are available on Public Health Ontario’s website.