DT News - Canada - Dr. Mario Brondani receives grant of $67,000 from Genome BC for COVID-19

Dr. Mario Brondani receives grant of $67,000 from Genome BC for COVID-19

Dental Tribune Canada

Wed. 15 April 2020

save

Dr. Mario Brondani, a dentistry professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), has received a grant of $67,000 from Genome BC to create structural procedures on how to prepare and provide urgent oral health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is known that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can be dispersed through droplets of saliva. The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted oral and dental care since aerosol and saliva droplets are part of any dental procedure, leading to possible spread of the virus.

Dental professionals are at high risk of exposure to the virus, which is why many dental clinics have temporarily closed in the face of the pandemic for services that do not require urgent care.

Given that dental professionals are unable to physically distance from their patients, it is essential to determine how to proceed in urgent cases.

Brondani, together with Dr. Leeann Donnelly, Dr. Kavita Mathu-Muju, Dr. Fernanda Almeida and Dr. HsingChi von Bergmann, will be consulting with dental professionals to determine what preparations during an outbreak are necessary to provide urgent care, how much guidance is given for these preparations, if there are barriers to implementing these changes, and any other concerns about providing care.

From this information, the researchers will be able to create a model for how the industry can implement a phased preparedness system. This model will inform the way urgent oral health care is being delivered during this time, while complementing the current infection control efforts that dentists employ.

The grant is funded by Genome British Columbia Rapid Response Funding for COVID-19 Research Projects.

(Source: University of British Columbia)