April 27 , 2020
The Honorable Thomas Wolf , Governor Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor , Room 225 Main Capitol Building Harrisburg , PA 17120
Dear Governor Wolf :
On behalf of the more than 5,000 members of the Pennsylvania Dental Association ( PDA ) I wish to thank you for your Administration ’ s efforts to mitigate the profound impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our Commonwealth .
To assist in this effort , on March 16 , the dental profession was among the first national health care provider groups to recommend postponement of elective procedures and treat only urgent and emergency cases . This contributed to slowing community spread of the virus and preserving much needed personal protective equipment ( PPE ). Equally important , remaining open for emergency procedures helped alleviate emergency departments from having to manage dental emergencies .
Oral health is integral to patients ’ overall health and delays in treatment could lead to compromised health outcomes . Many patients are now reaching a critical point where it is necessary to treat them in the dental office . For example , an untreated dental abscess can develop into a body-wide infection that jeopardizes a patient ’ s life . Dentists are best positioned and should be empowered to treat conditions such as this . Most patients whom a dentist needs to see have the potential to be asymptomatic carriers of the virus . Dentists and their staff are at a high risk of infection since many dental procedures produce aerosols in the normal course of treatment . In order to treat patients in the safest manner , dentists will need access to the appropriate PPE to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission among patients and dental team members .
It is critically important for our dentists to have an adequate supply of N95 masks to treat these patients . Currently , many dentists do not have enough N95 masks to treat their emergency cases , let alone providing the full range of dental care for the individuals that require treatment in the immediate future . PDA is working diligently to identify sources that can supply enough masks to dentists and their staff so that they are prepared to reopen at the appropriate time .
It is our understanding that the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) will soon be shipping quantities of N95 masks for states to use at their discretion . Whenever Pennsylvania receives its share , we respectfully request that you consider appropriating equitable proportion of those masks to dentists so that all Pennsylvanians can obtain the dental care they need and want while still protecting the members of the dental team , our patients and ultimately the public at large .
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further as soon as possible . I can be reached at ( 412 ) 244-9044 or taubergdmd @ gmail . com . Or you may contact Ward Blackwell , PDA ’ s executive director , at ( 225 ) 907-6642 or wwb @ padental . org .
Thank you for your prompt attention to this vital issue . Sincerely ,
James A . H . Tauberg , DMD President
cc : Dr . Rachel Levine , Secretary of Health , Pennsylvania Department of Health