Panic buying means dentists can’t keep masks in stock

Saskatoon dentists — and professionals across the country — are staring down a shortage of sterile masks in the wake of panic buying inspired by COVID-19.

Clinics in the city say they’ve been shorted on recent orders or are unable to place them at all as producers struggle to keep pace with a huge surge in demand from both the public and health agencies across the world.

“Those go quickly because while they’re normally a product that is limited to health professionals, as soon as you have one of these outbreaks these products go extremely quickly,” Dr. Doug Brothwell, dean of the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Dentistry, said in an interview on Friday.

Virus-resistant masks are mandatory for dentists to wear during procedures, as protection against pathogens that could be in a patient’s blood and saliva. Even though they’re not effective in preventing the contraction of COVID-19 according to public health professionals, they’ve quickly become a coveted commodity for a panicking public.

Paterson Dental, Sinclair and Henry Schein — the three main firms supplying dental equipment in Canada — all have posted statements saying they are struggling to maintain orders in the wake of higher global demand, including demand from public health agencies.

In Saskatoon, many clinics say they have between a few weeks to a month’s supply of masks yet.

While they don’t believe this will heavily affect services, they worry it could result in cancellations or delays if problems persist, and some have already begun rationing their use.

“We’re aware there is a shortage, absolutely,” Dr. Amani Agour said at Saskatoon West Dental. Her clinic is limiting the number of masks used for each patient within regulatory guidelines, she said.

Melissa Elderkin, the office manager at NEESH dental in downtown Saskatoon, said the clinic has about two weeks’ stock left of masks and that two of the main providers are out of product entirely.

“It changes every hour. So every morning I call in and see what we got and what’s come in,” Paterson Dental sales representative Adair Cardinal said. Paterson distributed extra masks to its clients in advance of the outbreak reaching North America, but is now facing unusual delays to place orders, Cardinal said.

“It’s a real mess out there.” Brothwell said the college’s more than 120 student clinicians were limiting mask use to one per patient, whereas they would have previously used around three. He said they should have enough to last until the end of the academic year — but it’s possible other public health bodies might need to borrow from his supply.

He said dentists may also be using more medical-grade hand sanitizer as the risk of COVID-19 increases — another supply chain that he warns is “very tight right now,” even as some dentists are taking extra precautions to make sure they don’t contract the virus.

On Thursday, the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan sent an advisory to all its members noting that patients who presented symptoms of COVID -19 or who had recently travelled should delay their appointments without entering a dental clinic. The college did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Brothwell said he hopes things will soon return to normal — whenever that is.

“We don’t expect this to last forever.”