The California Dental Association (CDA) pinpoints dentists as crucial in the fight against vaccine hesitancy, stating that widespread inoculation against COVID-19 is essential for preventing virus variants from spreading and causing breakthrough infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, as well as for safely reopening the state's economy.
A brief from the CDA states that the public is more likely to trust information they receive about the COVID-19 vaccine when it comes from public health entities or health-care professionals, and that dental professionals can take measures like including a question about vaccination on patient intake forms to provide an opportunity to discuss vaccination with the patient during their visit.
In January, the CDA started online toolkit to support vaccine education and awareness in dental office and facilitate dental professionals' conversations with patients. Recently it added new resources, including Instilling Vaccine Confidence, which offers communication strategies for promoting the vaccine to patients.
