UPDATE: The Georgia Board of Dentistry issues the following statement regarding the threat of COVID-19:

We recommend that CDC and health department guidelines be strictly adhered to regarding patient care.  Please review those guidelines ON A DAILY BASIS as they will be changing as the situation evolves.   Many dental associations, including the American Dental Association, are making recommendations that dentists voluntarily suspend all elective, non-urgent or non-emergency dental care for a period of time ranging from two or more weeks. The decision of whether a particular procedure may be necessary for a patient should be made on a case-by-case basis by the treating dentist based on his or her professional judgment. Generally, elective procedures are those that are beneficial but not essential. Dental practitioners have an obligation to provide ongoing emergency care for patients of record to prevent further crowding of the Emergency Rooms.  The Board urges everyone to acknowledge the extreme danger of this public health crisis and take an active role in helping control the transmission of the virus. 

The Board is following the COVID-19 matter closely.  All practitioners are advised to follow CDC recommendations and to make responsible decisions to ensure the health and safety of staff and patients. Please also be aware that the U.S. Surgeon General issued a message via Twitter on March 14, 2020 for all hospitals and healthcare systems to consider stopping elective procedures. Below are links to important information websites. 

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html​

Georgia Department of Public Health: https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus​

American College of Surgeons: https://www.facs.org/about-acs/covid-19/information-for-surgeons

ADA Emergency/Nonemergency Care Guidance 03/18/20: https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/march/ada-dev…