New Brunswick dentists won't be required to get COVID-19 vaccinations

The New Brunswick Dental Society will not be following the lead of doctors in the province and require dentists to have COVID-19 vaccinations. 

While endorsing vaccinations, the group is not making them a condition of a licence, said executive director Paul Blanchard. 

He said the society believes that patients are adequately protected by safety protocols that were put in place at the beginning of the pandemic and tweaked at regular intervals when necessary.

"We have great confidence in our operational plan and our infection-control guidelines, and so we know that patients are safe when they come to the dental office," said Blanchard.

He said preventing the transmission of diseases of all kinds, including HIV and hepatitis, is "really our number one priority." 

"So we are confident in the operational plan and in our infection control guidelines that dental clinics are a safe place to be."

Blanchard pointed out that dental offices have been opened during the pandemic since May 2020 and, "to our knowledge, there are no known cases of transmission in the dental office."

He said it's also important to remember that "the main benefit of the vaccine is to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death."

A fully vaccinated person can, however, still transmit the virus, he said, and that's where the other components of the operational plan come in — social distancing if possible, mask use, washing hands. 

Canadian dental group wants mandatory vaccines

In September, the Canadian Dental Association called on "the immediate action of the provincial and territorial governments to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers, including oral health care professionals."

That group includes dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental therapists, and all other dental office workers such as office managers and reception staff.

The decision was made under the belief that dentists have a higher duty of care to their patients, said Dr. Aaron Burry, the group's deputy chief executive officer. 

"And to have that higher duty of care means that we take measures and actions that are at a higher level than the general population," he explained. 

"So we weren't calling on a mandate for everyone. It was again in solidarity with our other health-care professionals to suggest that governments look at mandating vaccination for all health-care providers, including all health providers."

Blanchard said the board considered the Canadian association's position and that of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick but has not altered its position on mandatory vaccines. 

Last month, the college decided to suspend unvaccinated doctors in the province as of Dec. 1. Dr. Ed Schollenberg said at the time, an exact number wasn't available, but that "fewer than 10" doctors were suspended for not being vaccinated. 

On Thursday, Schollenberg said that number hadn't changed and so far, none of those doctors had been vaccinated. 

Most dentists have shots

While Blanchard said exact numbers aren't known, he estimated that fewer than 10 dentists — out of 364 licensed in New Brunswick — are unvaccinated.

That's less than three per cent, compared to the general population, where more than 17 per cent are not fully vaccinated. Among doctors in the province, the unvaccination rate is less than 0.5 per cent. 

With all of the infection-control guidelines in place, Blanchard said the society doesn't believe unvaccinated dentists pose a risk to patients. 

The society consulted an employment lawyer to help educate dentists about their rights and responsibilities, since each clinic is considered an independent business.

Just like any other business, they can make vaccination a condition of employment. Blanchard said he's not aware of any that have done that.