To support you in continuing to provide oral health care safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, CDHBC, CDTBC, CDSBC, and CDBC have worked collaboratively to update the joint COVID-19 guidance document for oral health care professionals.
Access the updated document: Infection Prevention and Control & Oral Health Care During the COVID‑19 Pandemic (July 19, 2022) >>
As always, this COVID-19-specific guidance is to be considered in conjunction with existing oral health care regulatory standards and guidance for infection prevention and control (IPAC) and aligned with provincial governmental authorities including the Ministry of Health, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, the Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia (PICNeT) and WorkSafeBC. We anticipate that COVID-specific guidance for oral health care professionals in BC will remain in effect until the pandemic is over.
Key updates in this version:
- clarifies settings in which masks are recommended to reduce viral transmission
- mask use for patients, advocates and visitors in common areas of private practice clinics and laboratories is recommended (page 14)
- mask use by oral health care professionals and staff throughout clinic and laboratory spaces is recommended (page 16)
- medical masks are the standard for use in oral health care settings
- addition of brief definitions section (section 2); differentiates between facilities and clinics
- enhanced statements and additional disclaimer language to clarify the validity of the document
- terms “clinics” and “laboratories” added throughout to increase specificity for guidance according to oral health care setting
The document linked above replaces the December 23, 2021 version. A comparison document showing the markup of changes between the December 2021 and July 2022 guidance documents is available upon request. Please use the contact form to request a copy of the comparison document.