Updated guidance on emergency and urgent care during COVID-19
In accordance with the Ontario Government’s Declaration of Emergency and Emergency Order, the College continues to strongly recommend all non-essential and elective dental services provided in person remain suspended until further notice. Emergency AND urgent care should continue.
For clarity, we have updated our guidance on emergency and urgent care during the pandemic. It provides definitions and examples for emergency and urgent care, as well as non-essential care.
The updated guidance reminds dentists they have professional, legal and ethical responsibilities to provide or arrange for dental emergency and urgent care for their patients. All emergency and urgent cases should be triaged by telephone or virtual/remote management.
It also provides additional direction regarding the provision of emergency and urgent dental care in person, both for those cases that can be managed without generating an aerosol and those cases that cannot be managed without generating an aerosol, as well as additional guidance regarding the management of patients, and office and clinical procedures.
To protect patients and dental staff, and conserve PPE supplies, the College continues to strongly recommend AEROSOL-GENERATING PROCEDURES SHOULD BE AVOIDED. Consider using pharmacotherapy instead.