In this interview with Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz, Carmelo Cinqueonce, MBA, executive director of the Minnesota Dental Association, notes that many practices lost 95% of their revenue-generating procedures during the shutdown. He says that this has financially crippled many practices. If these practices don’t return to business, particularly in already underserved rural areas, this would drastically reduce access to care, which is a huge concern for the state of Minnesota.
As they slowly return to their practices, dentists are being asked to have plans in place. These will be a bit different for each practice depending on their comfort levels and primarily, their access to proper personal protective equipment (PPE).
Dr. Pam asks, what about resuming normal dental hygiene practices? The Board of Dentistry reiterates that it’s up to each practice, but practices must have the proper PPE in place before they open their doors to patients. If they do not, hygiene should be put aside for a while.
Hear what steps Minnesota dentists, like those in many states, are tentatively taking as they reopen their practices, and what the MDA is providing to them as they move forward.
Editor's note: To view DentistryIQ's full coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, including original news articles and video interviews with dental thought leaders, visit the DentistryIQ COVID-19 Resource Center.
