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Across Europe, dentists are contributing to the efforts to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), while still providing safe and high-quality treatment to their patients, in line with relevant national and local regulations.
With a growing number of Member States restricting provision of dental care to medical emergencies, dentists are struggling to fulfill their obligations to care for their patients and at the same time prevent the transmission of the virus. As dental treatments create conditions that are particularly conducive to transmission, this requires complying with existing and new infection control protocols aimed at protecting dental patients, members of the dental team and dentists themselves, including by using appropriate protective equipment which in many countries is in increasingly short supply. Where this is allowed by national regulation, dentists support the remaining parts of the health systems, particularly hospital emergency services, by treating urgent oral health cases who would otherwise seek help in the already overburdened hospitals.
CED President Dr. Marco Landi said: “The COVID-19 crisis has clearly showed the necessity for international cooperation in public health, for a strong EU role in health policy and for investing in health at all levels. The CED continues to support our members who are, together with other healthcare providers, in the forefront of the struggle against COVID-19, by sharing information on national measures related to oral care and transmitting general guidance made available by international sources such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Commission. We remain ready to take on additional tasks as necessary, in the interest of public health, our patients and our communities. We also call on the Member States and the European Commission to take action to mitigate the long-term impact of COVID-19 on availability of oral care across Europe by supporting dentists, including those working in private practice, and including them in national emergency support instruments and giving them access to funding available at EU level .” |
