Business & Industry Insider: Dentistry's rebound levels off -- with a potential patient drop on the horizon

Dear Business & Industry Insider,

"Current patient volume is what is close to maximum capacity," said Marko Vujicic, PhD, chief economist and vice president of the ADA's Health Policy Institute (HPI), during a recent webinar. "I'm not sure it's even feasible to get back to 100%."

These are some of the sobering statistics that have been raised about our industry in recent weeks, including within the webinar referenced above. Our assistant editor, Melissa Busch, sat in on that HPI webinar to hear the thoughts of Vujicic and other industry prognosticators. She put together an article that shows not only that dentistry's recovery from COVID-19 is creeping toward an expected plateau but also that, yes, a drop-off in patients may be on the horizon. Get the details in our Insider Exclusive.

That projected drop-off in patients has sounded the alarms in several practices, including those who are looking ahead to their October hygiene schedules. Curtis Marshall warned readers recently to look at their schedules for Tuesday, October 19, to see what is likely a gaping hole. As Marshall wrote, "No one is talking about it because we are all so focused on the immediate." You might want to check your schedule now and see what it shows for the start of the fourth quarter.

In other news in our Business & Industry Community, low-income adults in California are less likely to receive timely dental care and more likely to visit the dentist for specific problems than those with higher incomes, according to researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles' Center for Health Policy Research.

Finally, nearly 90% of respondents to a recent survey said they will go to the dentist despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as long as safety precautions are in place. More than 4,000 plan members responded to the survey, which had some very interesting responses, including the majority (72%) saying they want to know which infection control procedures are in place before they arrive at your practice.

Thank you for being a Business & Industry Insider! We wish you and your loved ones continued health and success.