Ethical Calculus for the Provision of Dental Care during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020

Author Info

Akshay Govind

Corresponding Author

Akshay Govind
Assistant Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon USA

A B S T R A C T

Background: Due to its high rate of spread and unpredictable course, the COVID-19 virus has limited dentistry to providing only urgent treatment through the pandemic of 2020. With time, the burden of untreated dental disease will slowly rise, but too early a return to elective treatment will contribute to the spread of coronavirus and under-utilize much needed PPE, causing undue morbidity and mortality. Methods: A theoretical framework is proposed for calculating a safe return to work for dental providers in the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical, ethical, economic, and mathematical principles are utilized. Results: A model is offered using the concept of QALYs and DALYs to calculate benefits and risks of dental care. The model includes a 13-variable formula that takes into account the prevalence and impact of dental disease and the novel coronavirus. Practical Implications: Organized dentistry groups are encouraged to couple clinicians and policymakers to calculate the optimal timing for a measured return to work. Specifically, a safe return will balance PPE supply and efficacy with hospital capacity to find an optimal prevalence of COVID-19 and dental disease where it would be most responsible for dentists to return to providing elective care. Lastly, a call is made to lobby for government support for dentists, as dental care is a vital service to the public provided almost entirely by a private sector workforce in the United States.

Article Info

Article Type

Research Article

Publication history

Received: Tue 14, Apr 2020
Accepted: Tue 28, Apr 2020
Published: Fri 08, May 2020

Copyright

© 2023 Akshay Govind. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.JDOA.2020.01.02