Dear UMKC Students,
It’s been a couple months since the Kansas Dental Association (KDA) last communicated with you, as we were forced to cancel our “Toast and Tour” progressive dental office dinner event due to COVID-19. I want to apologize for the lack of communication with you! Obviously, a lot has happened since then and I wanted to reach out to you to let you know what the KDA has been up to and to offer whatever assistance we can.
KDA Working on Members' Behalf During COVID-19 Pandemic
For the past eight weeks, the KDA has been feverishly working with the American Dental Association (ADA), Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the Kansas Bureau of Oral Health, and others to help KDA member dentists to navigate through the many dental practice issues associated with COVID-19.
As you know, these issues started with the direction to limit dental practices to emergency-only treatment in an effort to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospital use.
The first effort of the KDA was to assist member dentists close and scale back their practices at the direction of the ADA and KDHE. Many dentists sought guidance with employee issues and how to engage the federal and state governments for unemployment, loans, and grants provided in the CARES Act and other financial resources.
The concerns quickly shifted to how to protect the dental staff and patients from the COVID-19 threat, and more recently, procedures to safely reopen dental offices. Currently, the KDA and ADA are working with state and federal officials on obtaining PPE for dentists and their dental teams.
KDA Advocating for Dental Students and Upcoming Graduates
During this time, the KDA has also been aware of concerns of dental students and disruption of their school year. The KDA is particularly aware of concerns regarding graduation, licensure, and perhaps even lost job opportunities of fourth-year dental students.
The KDA offered support of allowing non-live patient licensure exams and expressed that directly to the Kansas Dental Board. The Dental Board’s action allowing licensure exams to be given without live patients will serve to both ensure students can become licensed, while also protecting the public.
For those of you closer to your D4 year, the KDA is aware that some employment opportunities have been withdrawn due to the uncertainty COVID-19 is currently presenting dental practices.
If you are in search of a practice opportunity, the KDA will be happy to post that information for you and, in turn, pass along any practice opportunities we come across. Please visit the
KDA Classified Ads section to view practice opportunities, or email
kylie@ksdental.org to post a listing at no cost.
Contact Us
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to the KDA with questions or concerns, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Visit the
KDA Staff page or the
KDA Officers page to contact a staff person or member of the KDA leadership.
Sincerely,
