FOX61 continued to follow up on the concerns surrounding dental workers returning to work amid COVID-19. Those concerns were brought to Governor Lamont's attention again on Friday.
On Thursday, a dental hygienist and orthodontic professional both told FOX61 that the industry wasn't ready.
"Anyone who’s had their teeth cleaned - we are about six inches from your face for most of an hour. And in between patients, are we going to have three hours in between patients for that air to get out of the room? The room I work in doesn’t have any windows," said an anonymous dental hygienist in a phone call.
"I know there is a short supply of PPE, I know eventually we are going to get it, but even with the proper PPE, there's still a lot of health concerns," added an orthodontic assistant who also wanted to remain anonymous.
Since Thursday night, many emails have come into the FOX61 newsroom from dental workers worried about going back.
One said in an email, "COVID-19 is transmitted through saliva droplets. In the dental setting, that is what we do all day long! Our air/water syringe, prophy angle, and cavitron produce a ton of aerosols!"
Another said, "The public needs to be made aware that when they come into a dental practice for a cleaning, they could be potentially inhaling these aerosol’s from the previous patients!"
During Gov. Ned Lamont's Friday briefing, Economic Commissioner David Lehman said dental offices can open when they feel comfortable with no specific start date. Lehman pointed to the American Dental Association's guidelines and toolkit to reopen safely.
"We’re mindful of proximity of a dentist and a hygienist to their patient and how close saliva is there," Lehman said. "As the American Dental Association and other states come back online for cleanings and hygiene, they’re able to do that and they’re able to start doing that as they see fit," said Lehman.
FOX61's ZInnia Maldonado asked the administration to clarify:
Maldonado: "Just to confirm, non-emergency services like checkups and cleanings, they can come back as soon as tomorrow or May 20th if a dentist's office feels comfortable and has the PPE and wants to do that, correct?
Lehman: "As of now that's correct, and this comes down to the comfort level of dentist in making sure they're following that toolkit from the ADA to resume the dental procedures."
The American Dental Association Toolkit is 22 pages long. It outlined the short-term management of dental practice during this pandemic.
The ADA identified the different types of face masks workers can use. It stated only the N-95 and KN-95 masks can reduce workers' exposure to small particle aerosols. As for the surgical mask, it can protect the person from bodily fluids such as saliva.
Dr. Tam Le with the Connecticut State Dental Association said this toolkit is a good starting point.
"Slowly, we go where we need to meet the optimal safety level that is required of us because it's not just us, but we also have to protect our patients," said Dr. Le, president of the Connecticut State Dental Association.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration put out its own guidance for dentistry workers and employers following the ADA's lead by listing aerosol-generating procedures even performed on well patients as high risk. According to OSHA, they have not mandated that employers be held liable if employees contract COVID-19 on the job.
"If we did everything in good faith, then we are not liable for any harm to both our patients and team members," added Dr. Le.