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Empowering dentists to administer COVID ‐19 vaccines
Author(s) -
RojasRamirez Marcia V.,
DeVito David M.,
McKee Julie W.,
Miller Craig S.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12502
Subject(s) - scope of practice , vaccination , scope (computer science) , pandemic , covid-19 , mass vaccination , medicine , health care , public relations , action (physics) , family medicine , medical emergency , political science , virology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , physics , disease , pathology , quantum mechanics , computer science , law , programming language
Objectives To detail how the scope of practice of dentistry was expanded in Kentucky allowing dentists to be rapidly mobilize and join a mass vaccination campaign and administer COVID‐19 vaccines to the community. Methods The processes involving policy change, an emergency administrative regulation, provider training and community action are detailed. Results In just 21 days from state authorization, dentists from the University of Kentucky organized and trained clinicians to join a mass vaccination effort and provided over 1200 COVID‐19 vaccines to the community. Conclusions As essential healthcare workers, Kentucky dentists joined the fight against the COVID‐19 pandemic by participating in a mass vaccination campaign. This communication provides guidance to states, academic institutions, and dentists who are currently in the process of achieving this regulatory change and taking community action. It also provides insights to the benefits of expanding the scope of practice to include vaccination as part of dental services.