Week in Review: Changes for dental assistants | Income plummets for female dentists | Mandatory COVID-19 vaccines

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Approximately two dozen states in the U.S. have recently enacted legislative and regulatory changes related to dental assisting requirements. Our coverage of the Dental Assisting National Board's "State of the States" report is the top story of the week.

Some of the changes include clarifications to the scope of practice for dental assistants, new educational requirements, and rules on the use of teledentistry. Arizona, Georgia, and Texas are among the states with new requirements.

COVID-19 crushed the income of dentists

The COVID-19 pandemic crushed the income of all dentists, but female clinicians took a much bigger financial hit than their male colleagues, according to a September 2 webinar hosted by the ADA Health Policy Institute.

In 2020, female dentists saw a 27% decline in net income, compared with a 15% decline for men. Female dentists also experienced a steeper decline in hours worked. The data may be tied to child care during the pandemic, which disproportionately fell to women across industries.

Mandatory vaccine jabs?

Dozens of oral and public health organizations are calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for oral healthcare workers, students, and residents. Organizations that signed a statement in support of mandatory vaccinations include the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research; the American Dental Education Association; and the American Dental Hygienists' Association.

One organization was notably absent from the call: the ADA. While the ADA stopped short of calling for a nationwide vaccination mandate in U.S., the association said it "strongly encourages" all members to get vaccinated.

Treating cracked teeth during the pandemic

The data show practices have seen a lot more cracked teeth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Stephen Abrams detailed how he treated one of these cases in the latest episode of What's on My Chair.

In June 2020, Abrams got a call from a healthy patient who had cracked a tooth. He described how he approached the treatment plan -- and how asking just a few questions helped him diagnose the source of the problem.

Rare number of root canals

Last but not least, imaging helped guide the dental treatment of a woman with two molars that had at least six abnormal root canals. Understanding the root canal anatomy and tooth morphology was essential to completing the procedure.

We will be taking Monday off to enjoy Labor Day. Stay tuned for new content and newsletters starting again on Tuesday.