The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for all dental implant providers and patients. Everyone has to manage changes that continue to occur regarding the daily social and work aspects of life as it is now known. Some have experienced irritating glitches to life as it used to be, while others have had to deal with personal illness or the pain of losing a loved one. Regardless of our personal beliefs about the pandemic, the world in which we live has changed in the short, and possibly long, term. As clinicians, we must adapt to these changes. Social distancing is recommended. This means we should stay at least 6 feet (2 arms' length) from other people who are not from our household. Not only is social distancing recommended, but other protective, preventive actions are recommended to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This includes wearing masks and the frequent washing of hands for at least 20 seconds.
So, where does that leave implant dentists and their support staff? The reality is that the dental health care providers (DHCPs) are front-line health-care workers. DHCPs treat multiple patients whose degree of infectivity is unknown for 8 to 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. DHCPs also ask the patients to open their mouths (which can be a reservoir for the Sars-CoV-2 virus), patients' breathe on the DHCPs and the DHCPs in turn breathe on the patients. Instrumentation is frequently used in the dental implant treatment appointments that create aerosols. If the patient is COVID-19 positive, the aerosols will contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which can travel through the air and infect other individuals in the area.1–3 Nguyen et al4 reported in September 2020 that front-line health-care workers were at an increased risk of acquiring COVID-19 when compared with the general community (adjusted hazard ratio 11.61, 95% CI 10.93–12.33).
The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) is a leader in implant dentistry. The AAID's mission is “to advance the science and practice of implant dentistry through education, research support and to serve as the credentialing standard for implant dentistry for the benefit of mankind.”5 The AAID represents all dentists placing dental implants regardless of specialty. To support the continued practice of implant dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, the AAID commissioned a white paper on how implant dentists can effectively and safely provide much needed services to patients. The intent of the white paper is to provide guidance for dental implant practices so patients and DHCPs can be safe. The guidance provides information that will enable the dental implant practice to remain open and viable during the pandemic.6
The health and safety of their members is a primary concern of the AAID.7 This issue of JOI contains “AAID White Paper: Management of the Dental Implant Patient During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond,” which offers critical guidance for all implant dental offices. The AAID has made this peer-reviewed paper open access. This will allow all implant practices and DHCPs to have access to, and benefit from, this guidance. The article is also available online at https://www.aaid.com/membership/AAID-Update-and-Resources.html. Going forward, the AAID will provide additional white papers on other critical issues that impact implant dentistry.
