After reading the assigned article, Brian Z, Weintraub JA. Oral Health and COVID-19: Increasing the Need for Prevention and Access. Prev Chronic Dis 2020; 17:200266 (Download the article here). Write a 4 page (minimum), double spaced, 1” margins, Arial font, size 11 essay discussing at LEAST ONE of the following topics:
1. Discuss the COVID-19 pandemic implications for individual and collective health and emotional and social functioning.
2. Many risk factors have been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic including social determinants of health that lead to both exacerbation of chronic disease and poor oral health outcomes.
3. Access to oral health care is especially limited for populations at high risk for COVID-19, which has resulted in limited preventive dental services in the interest of public health safety.
4. The COVID-19 pandemic has many looking at reimbursement policies, which traditionally have incentivized surgical, high-end restorative procedures like crowns and multi-surface fillings, must be revisited to prioritize preventive and nonsurgical, non-aerosolizing treatments and make them more financially sustainable.
5. COVID-19 has many oral health care providers anxious about returning to work, and many patients may be hesitant to enter a dental office. Communication and clarity are critical, especially with low-literacy populations.
6. COVID-19 guidance for dental practices continue to evolve. As dental care resumes, it is critical that workforce policies and licensure scope be evaluated to address workforce utilization bottlenecks to respond to communities’ needs more effectively and efficiently.
7. During the COVID-19 pandemic it is time to recognize the social determinants of health and rectify unjust conditions, systemic inequality, and racism. In such a time, oral health care providers and advocates must address disparities and inequities to improve population health.
