Dear DrBicuspid Member,
We're officially in the second half of 2020. I think all of us (me included) are looking forward to better days ahead as we continue to adapt and adjust to life since the COVID-19 pandemic became a part of our everyday fabric.
Each day, it seems that we are learning something new about COVID-19 and its effects on our lives and the dental industry. That certainly didn't change this week, as readers dove into two fact-filled articles about the disease.
First, testing oropharyngeal secretions for SARS-CoV-2 resulted in fewer false-negative results among patients who seemed to have recovered from the infection, compared with nasal-sample testing, according to a study published on July 2 in the Journal of Dental Research.
Second, high bacterial loads in the mouth may be the reason why some otherwise healthy patients experience more severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to an article published on June 26 in the British Dental Journal.
Of course, there are more than just clinical implications when it comes to COVID-19. There's the business side that has been greatly affected as well, including for many of you reading this newsletter.
Dental practices were among the businesses hardest hit by the COVID-19 shutdowns, and many dentists took advantage of the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as a result. Mark Schmidt, CEO of Fund-Ex Solutions Group, believes now is the time to prepare for the loan forgiveness portion of your PPP loan, and he gives you the steps to follow.
Speaking of your business, many of you had to hire or rehire employees when your patient loads began to expand after reopening. Some of those interviews may have been with people who weren't exactly the best fit for your practice. How do you spot those people? How do you avoid them? Corinne Jameson-Kuehl, RDH, gives descriptions and tips to help you in one of our most popular articles of week.
Finally, dental's pharmacology expert weighed in with some thoughts this week as well. The relative safety of azithromycin was first questioned following a study published in 2012, which reported an association between azithromycin use and sudden cardiac death. Tom Viola, RPh, discusses why the drug is once again making headlines.
As always, my team and I appreciate you reading DrBicuspid.com. We wish you a relaxing and safe weekend.
