According to a report by the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, dentistry has been one of the hardest hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, for both providers and patients.

As a timely response to the pandemic, the report aims to understand the dental providers’ perspective on how dentistry will be impacted by COVID-19 and to make policy recommendations to support the dental community. A survey shared with contacts nationwide showed that dental providers whose practices are located in California made up 34% of the total responses of 47 states surveyed. Of those surveyed, 62% believed the financial support they received from the CARES Act was adequate, while 33% believed it was inadequate.

The institute says increased measures are expected to be implemented to ensure the safety of the dental team and patients, possibly causing a ripple effect as additional expenses will be imposed on dental providers, leading to increased fees for individuals receiving dental services — particularly those on Medicaid. According to the institute, patients who will be hit the hardest are the vulnerable and underserved.

“These are individuals who are already experiencing disparity in accessing dental care,” said Hayam Megally, a research analyst at the institute. “They are communities of color, older adults, patients with special health needs and patients who rely on public insurance.”

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(Report was also briefly mentioned on ABC30.)