San Francisco Dental Society

2020 was certainly not the year any of us had planned or expected, but we made it work! From moving meetings to virtual and facilitating n95 fit testing to working with SFDPH to get PPE in the hands of dentists, we had a busy year! Thank you to all who helped us through and helped make 2020 a memorable one!

The SFDS Annual Meeting looked a little different this year, but we still came together to thank outgoing president, Dr. Carlos Nogueiro, and to welcome incoming 2021 SFDS president, Dr. Natasha Lee. Thanks to all who joined us! And here's to a fantastic 2021!

COVID-19 Vaccinations are now being made available to eligible San Francisco dentists and their dental teams through the SFDPH. For more information about eligibility and how to make an appointment check the COVID-19 Updates on the SFDS website at sfds.org.

Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni died on September 23 at his home in Palo Alto. An Honorary member of the SFDS, Dr. Dugoni was an influential figure in dentistry and orthodontics. Dr. Dugoni will be remembered for his remarkable leadership both in organized dentistry and at the UOP Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. UOP has put together a "webpage designed to share some memories and celebrate the life of a truly great human being and one of the most important figures in the 169-year history of [the] university. You also can share your personal memories about Dr. Dugoni, give to the Dugoni Scholar Endowment to support Art’s passion for students and find out about upcoming memorial services."

What a busy group of volunteers, dentists, students, family-all working together for six days to get PPE kitted and distributed to SF dentists. Thank you all! A huge shout of thanks to Sysco SF for providing a truck and driver to move product to the Busvan for Bargains warehouse and to Michael and Patricia Busk for opening their warehouse doors to SFDS. We could not have done it without the help of the entire dental community.

Advocating for all dentists in California

Challenges for PPE extend beyond San Francisco. This clinic sees 30,000 children a year who have no access to dental care. Please share if you care!

CDPH has released guidance for dental offices to open back up to routine care. Keep in mind, however, that the state order includes the following provision: "Local orders that are more stringent than the state's public health orders must be followed". Right now the City and County of San Francisco's Shelter in Place is extended through May 31, and it also extends a provision restricting most routine appointments.... Under this shelter-in-place order, dental offices are still able to provide emergency and urgent care only. If San Francisco changes their order before May 31, we will let our members know immediately.

CDA President Dr. Richard Nagy highlights the status of routine dental care, and how CDA is preparing to support members getting back to practice.

The future of dentistry shines bright. Way to go!

Remember, you don’t know if you’re the person on the left or on the right.

Are you seeing emergency patients during this time? Make sure you are following all protocols including posting the proper items at your business. Visit SF.gov to read the requirements including what you need to post on your door and provide to employees.

The State of California, Department of Public Health issued new guidelines for dentistry today. Read the new guidelines at the link below.

Does your license expire between March 31 and June 30 this year? Check out CDA.org to find out how the license renewal CE requirement extensions will affect you.

There are many places to get accurate and important information on the coronavirus. The SFDS is keeping track of many of these places and providing a continuously updated resource list of national, state, and local information that affects dentists in the City. Find this list at https://sfds.org//URGENT-Corona-Virus-COVID-19-UPDATEs-324

For something a little lighter, let's have a #ThrowbackThursday #TBT Here are some pictures from our Annual Meeting and Installation on January 29. Dr. Jeff Jang, the SFDS 2019 president, handed the gavel to Dr. Carlos Nogueiro for 2020. Dr. Matt Young received the SFDS Committee Member of the Year award. UCSF and UOP students shared their research with attendees. And we all connected with old and new friends.