COVID-19 Update: April 2, 2020

April 2, 2020 | Issue 12

Governor Extends Mandate on Nonessential Dental Care to April 30

Today Governor Kim Reynolds extended the proclamation to suspend elective and nonessential dental procedures in Iowa until April 30. The ADA also updated its recommendation to keep dentist offices closed for all but urgent and emergency procedures until April 30 at the earliest.

As a reminder, the Governor's proclamation mandates that dentists refrain from performing elective dental procedures, including: any cosmetic or aesthetic procedures; all routine hygiene; any orthodontic procedures other than those necessary to relieve pain or infection or to restore normal oral functioning; initiation of crowns, bridges, or dentures that do not address or prevent pain or restore normal oral functioning; any periodontal plastic surgery; extraction of asymptomatic non-carious teeth; recall visits for periodontally-healthy patients; and all appointments for high-risk patients, including ASA 2 and 3 patients, unless emergent.

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Governor Thanks Iowa Dentists

During her daily press conference yesterday, Governor Kim Reynolds praised Iowa dentists for the amount of PPE they have donated to assist the medical community in combating COVID-19.

IDA continues to track the amount of PPE being donated by Iowa dentists. If you have not done so already, please contact IDA with a list of the items donated and the name of the facility donated to.

For those willing to donate, please complete the donation form.

Follow us on Facebook to view pictures that dentists have submitted delivering donations and be sure to tag us in your donation posts.

Thank you to the dentists who have recently donated or volunteered to donate PPE:

Dr. Fotene Gennatos, Sioux City
Dr. Bob Margeas, Des Moines
Dr. Rachel Matta, Adel
Dr. Katharine Pins, Eldridge
Spring Park OMS, Davenport

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National News Article Shines Light on Dentistry During COVID-19

Terry Evans of Patterson Dental Supply unloads the IMOM PPE donation to the Polk County Health Department on Tuesday.

An article today in the U.S.A Today and the Des Moines Register highlights the impact on healthcare professionals due to mandates to refrain from providing routine and non-emergency care.

"Nobody knows exactly what's going on and that's the scariest part of this," said Dr. Zach Kouri, who serves as vice president of the Iowa Dental Association Board of Trustees. "If you had a date where you could say this is going to (end), but everybody understands that what's happening right now can change and probably will change."

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Online CPR Resources

For those needing to renew their CPR certification, this may be done via online-only courses, if the previous CPR certification expired between January 1 and December 31, 2020. The "hands-on" component of CPR certification requirement was waived by Governor Kim Reynolds on March 26.

Online CPR courses are available through the following organizations:

ADA Releases New Guidelines Surrounding COVID-19

The ADA has updated the ADA Interim Guidance for Minimizing Risk of COVID-19 Transmission . This document provides guidance for minimizing the risk of transmission before, during, and after treating emergency cases. A summary of the guidance is available to assist dentists.

A flowchart has also been developed to assist in identifying when a treatment requires immediate attention and would be considered an emergency. Specific questions regarding if treatment would qualify as an emergency procedure should be directed to the IDB .

Please note, these guidelines do not supersede state law or Iowa Dental Board rules.

Latest Information from Governor Kim Reynolds

Governor Reynolds is currently conducting daily press conferences at 2:30 PM. Those press conferences may be viewed live on Facebook.

The governor issues daily press releases regarding the status of COVID-19's effect on Iowans. Click here to access the most recent press release.

Interested individuals are encouraged to register as a willing and able volunteer through the Iowa Statewide Emergency Registry of Volunteers (i-SERV) – the Iowa Department of Public Health's secure online registry for individuals wishing to volunteer in the event of a large-scale disaster or public health emergency. Volunteers maintain the option to accept or decline any opportunity. Due to the Governor’s Public Health Disaster Emergency Declaration, individuals who volunteer to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic are granted liability immunity for their service. Volunteering for this disaster response will not impact unemployment benefits for those who are receiving them as a result of their clinic temporarily shutting down.