Becker's Dental + DSO Review

27 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP What legacy will COVID-19 leave on dentistry? 8 dentists weigh in By Ariana Portalatin E conomic stress, burnout and work- force shortages are among the top legacies dentists expect COVID-19 to have on dentistry. Here, eight dentists shared with Becker's what lasting effects COVID-19 will have on dentistry: Editor's note: Responses were lightly ed- ited for clarity and length. Peter Chien, DMD. Edgewood (Wash.) Family Dentistry: COVID-19's impact on dentistry is multifactorial, likely politically motivated at the state level. States that placed COVID-19 vaccine mandates as condition of employment contributed to auxiliary and clinical staff quitting and/or moving to other states without the vac- cine mandate. Some states also deemed dentistry "non-essential" and forced multiple months of closure, [which] re- ally economically damaged dental of- fices, possibly long-term and irrepara- ble. Fear of contracting COVID-19 has caused patient delays in returning to the dental office. COVID-19 has also exacerbated staffing shortages. Staff who were close to retire- ment or wanting a different career path have quit due to COVID-induced stress. Child care issues have also prevented staff from returning to the workforce. Economic stress has weighed heavily on dentists, likely contributing to men- tal health decline and career burnout. Social media stigma may be preventing full disclosure of the negative impact COVID-19 had and is having on dentists. The good news is that as with all pandem- ics, the COVID-19 pandemic will, or has already possibly, end and will eventual- ly enter an endemic phase. Dentists will graduate with a fresh state of mind and renewed sense of energy. There is hope for dentistry and for all of humankind. Michael Davis, DDS. Smiles of San- ta Fe (N.M.): There is no question the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the den- tal industry. The additional overhead costs in personal protective equipment and looser scheduling forced the dental industry to more acutely examine their operating expenditures. Fewer practitioners could afford the fi- nancial losses generated by Medicaid participation and PPO participation with the more discounted plans. Those serv- ing these populations will become a nar- rowing segment of the dental industry. This does not bode well for quality of care for the disadvantaged. Staffing shortages and the rise in cost of dental labor also forced numbers of practices to reevaluate their overall degree of insurance participation. This will accelerate the polarization trend between practices offering highly per- sonalized services versus those focused on volume care. I doubt in 10 years if any real "middle ground" style of practice can survive, ex- cept represented in external marketing hype, which will only get louder. Bradley Dykstra, DDS. CEO of MI Smiles Dental (Hudsonville, Mich.): The one most important is that now dentistry is considered essential and an integral part of a patient's overall systemic health. Dentistry is resilient and adaptable — we have survived the HIV epidemic and came out stronger, and now the same with COVID-19. We are stronger and have better protocols after COVID-19 than before. In general, everyone is look- ing more critically at the work world — where and how much they want to work, which does affect dentistry significantly. Tim Goodheart, DDS. Goodheart Den- tal (Raytown, Mo.): I think the legacies will be two-fold. One: This has completely changed the staffing and economic landscape of den- tistry. Many auxiliary staff have left the profession. Wages for those that remain have dramatically increased. The days of getting employees for a lower-end wage are gone, forever. We now have more offices chasing after fewer skilled employees. I believe the standards for compensation and the typical percent- ages of practice production will be sig- nificantly higher over the next three to five years. Second: This has, by default, placed more of a premium on offices with good infection control practices and standards. No longer can we sim- ply go on auto-pilot and say "dentistry is safe." It now requires us to be proac- tive and be aware. Robin Henderson, DDS. (Clarkston, Wash.): Unfortunately, COVID-19 has created a legacy of fatigue in dentistry. The close relationships that I once felt with the large majority of my patients, team and outside sales support used to bring much energy to the day. Now, we wear masks the entire time in the office and that barrier is palpable. The initial physical fatigue from wearing respirator masks and face shields has improved, yet the overall fatigue remains, as there is much less certainty to what tomorrow will bring … or even today. There are more last-minute schedule changes and staffing shortages than ever thought pos- sible in the pre-COVID-19 dental office. I also used to attend a lot of in-person continuing education events, which was invigorating to always be learning and growing. I live in a remote area so I try to be optimistic about opportunities for vir- tual CDE; however, Zoom fatigue is real and it is shown to not only lead to exhaus- tion but to even contribute to burnout. Dentistry has already been so far ahead of other fields in terms of infection con- trol, so we were prepared with how to adapt to the demands of COVID-19 in that regard; now I hope we can use what we have learned from feelings of fatigue and use that for good as there is a new focus on mental health of the dental team. As dentistry is a profession cen- tered around wellness, I am hopeful the overall well-being of dentists and mem- bers of the dental team will improve with an awareness of the importance of mental health. Mina Kim, DDS. Bryant Park Dental As- sociates (New York City): I will never forget the fear, uncertainty and constant changes we faced in the early days of

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