Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 4

Richard Holden BSc, DDS president@cda-adc.ca Making aDifference by SharingGood Science A s I write this column, 78% of eligible Canadians have received their first vaccine and almost 41% are fully vaccinated (two doses). The seven-day average of new cases has dropped from more than 8,000 per day in April to about 500 per day as of early July. In many places in Canada, restrictions are being loosened and people are able to enjoy the warm weather in ways that feel more like their normal lives than anything else in the past year and a half. Families are able to reconnect with each other and many grandparents can see their grandchildren, some for the first time. My patients regularly share their personal stories with me. I’ve heard heartbreaking stories of loss and the inability to travel to attend to a family illness or death over the past 18 months. However, as vaccinations rolled out this spring and restrictions began to ease, these conversations now more often revolve around excitement about being able to see loved ones and finally getting to hug parents, children and grandchildren. This is almost entirely due to the availability of very safe and highly efficacious vaccines. Vaccines are our only way out of this situation and the sooner we can all get protected, the faster we put the COVID pandemic behind us. Among my dental colleagues, there is a strong desire for our work lives to be less stressful and unpredictable. There is a palpable sense of hope and new beginnings. Vaccines have made all of this possible. I’ve been thinking about how we, as dentists, can contribute to the vaccination effort— aside from those who are administering vaccines in some provinces—and how to plan for the next stage as COVID-19 transitions from a pandemic to an endemic disease. It isn’t an entirely rosy picture. It will take a while for populations across the globe to get access to vaccines and more contagious and virulent variants have emerged, and will likely continue to crop up. Aswehave seen inother countries, vaccinehesitancy is a real concern, andunvaccinated people will be most at risk of infection and hospitalization in the coming months. Dentists are trusted advisors that people have known for several years. We see our patients regularly for preventive and routine dental care and continually update their medical histories. I feel this is a perfect opportunity to have an informed conversation about vaccines. We have a responsibility to our patients to be able to talk to them about vaccines and offer the best information available. Our ability to answer questions about vaccines shows our patients that we care about their overall health and well‑being. We can be a source of good science in a world where it can be hard to navigate and decipher. In this edition of the magazine and online at CDA Oasis , you can learn more about the effectiveness of vaccines, the impact of the pandemic on Canadian dentistry , and the legal implications of employee and privacy rights related to vaccinations. There are people in my life—both professional and personal—who are wary of vaccines. We all have an individual right to choose what is best for us, and that choice must be respected. It’s not our job to change minds but to direct people to resources that are based on the best evidence that we currently have. A conversation about these concerns will often assist friends, family or patients in making an informed choice for themselves, their family, and their community. Dentists can play a significant role in our patients’ overall general health as trusted health care providers. By caring for individuals and families, we contribute to the health and well-being of our communities. From the President 7 Issue 4 | 2021 | CDA at W ork