Joint Statement: CDSS, SDHA, SDAA, SDTA March 17, 2020 • Saskatchewan Oral Health Professionals are following advisories of the Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO) with regards to dental office protocols, including mandated closures, and will ALERT dental professionals as information becomes available. • Prior to any mandated closures, individual dentists in consultation with their dental team can limit the services they provide. Practice standards must be maintained. • Based on individual clinic circumstances, dental offices should consider reducing or suspending some or all elective and non-essential dental hygiene services, elective restorative services, prosthodontic services and/or other services. • Dental offices are required to maintain contact availability for patient emergencies. These emergencies would include patients requiring immediate treatment due to infection, acute pain and/or trauma. The dentist in collaboration with the dental team will determine the best place and manner in which the care can be delivered safely and appropriately. • Dental offices should implement a pre-screening risk assessment for ALL patient appointments. Several resources are available to members to use in developing this screening protocol which can be applied by phone or digital format. This risk assessment includes the risk to the patient, to the public and to the oral healthcare provider. If risks are identified, the appointment could be postponed or referred to an appropriate provider in consultation with the patient. Patient Screening Resource Sign for Dentists Saskatchewan Health Information for Health Professionals • Dental offices are reminded that the collaboratively developed SOHP Infection Prevention and Control Standards must be maintained. If the IPC standards cannot be maintained, including the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), operations must cease. • Oral Health Professionals are considered healthcare workers and as such are obliged to follow all Saskatchewan Health/SHA advisories. 2020 Pacific Dental Conference attendees please note: Dr. Bonnie Henry (CMHO-BC) has now advised that ALL attendees of the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver from March 5-7, 2020 should selfisolate. Therefore, anyone who attended the 2020 Pacific Dental Conference must immediately selfisolate until March 22, 2020. The CDSS confirms that the Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer has confirmed that this directive must be followed by attendees of the 2020 PDC.