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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 70, October 4, 2022

CDC No Longer Recommends Universal Masking in Health Care Facilities
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance [ [link removed] ] that no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings, unless the facilities are in areas of high COVID-19 transmission.
 
In areas where transmission levels are high, masking is recommended for everyone in a health care setting when they are in areas of the health care facility where they could encounter patients. In regions without high COVID-19 transmission, health care facilities can “choose not to require” all doctors, patients and visitors to mask.
 
“Updates were made to reflect the high levels of vaccine-and infection-induced immunity and the availability of effective treatments and prevention tools,” the CDC’s new guidance says.
 
In addition to the general guidance released, the CDC notes that “dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) should regularly consult their state dental boards [ [link removed] ] and state or local health departments [ [link removed] ] for current information and recommendations and requirements specific to their jurisdictions.”

Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Temporary Waiver Ends on Oct. 31, 2022
 
Until Oct. 31, 2022, the Department of Education (ED) will allow borrowers to receive credit toward loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program for loan payments that otherwise would not qualify towards the number of payments needed to earn forgiveness.
 
Information about the waiver can be found on the ED website [ [link removed] ] . The website also contains extensive Frequently Asked Questions and provides a number to call for assistance if your questions are not answered.

ED Releases Update on Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan
 
The Department of Education (ED) released an update on the Biden-Harris administration’s student debt relief plan [ [link removed] ] . The update lays out eligibility requirements, what borrowers may be eligible for, how the process will work and what to expect next.
 
ED points the public to its extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section regarding the plan. If questions are not addressed in the FAQs, one of the FAQs, titled “How do I get help if I have questions or need assistance?” has a number to call for additional information. Borrowers can sign up for future updates [ [link removed] ] , including notification when the application for student debt relief is released.
 
Finally, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Perkins loans were initially eligible for the student debt relief plan, but in a surprise move, on Sept. 30, ED made a change to the eligibility requirements. This change is reflected in the FAQs, under the question, “Are Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans or Perkins Loans eligible for debt relief?” According to ED, as of Sept. 29, borrowers with federal student loans not held by ED cannot obtain one-time debt relief by consolidating those loans into Direct Loans. Borrowers with FFEL Program loans and Perkins Loans not held by ED who have applied to consolidate into the Direct Loan program prior to Sept. 29, 2022, are eligible for one-time debt relief through the Direct Loan program.
 
ED made the change in an effort to protect the plan from legal challenges [ [link removed] ] .

North Carolina Proposes Changes to Sedation Rules
 
The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners has released a draft of proposed changes [ [link removed] Notice of Text with 16Q Rules.pdf ] to the state’s rules governing sedation during dental procedures. While it was previously reported [ [link removed] ] the Board was considering requiring the presence of an anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist during procedures that require sedation, the Board opted not to adopt this requirement [ [link removed] ] , and is instead recommending several other changes. The proposed changes include:
 • Requiring the presence of a capnograph and a precordial or pretracheal stethoscope rather than one or the other;
 • Requiring annual maintenance and documentation of maintenance of all equipment required to be present and functional during a procedure that involves sedation;
 • New requirements for reporting adverse consequence experienced by a patient during a dental procedure that led to them being admitted to the hospital within 24 hours;
 • The addition of maximum dosage limits for the use of certain sedation medications;
 • Additional training requirements for all auxiliaries in the treatment of clinical emergencies, and a requirement that all auxiliary staff maintain basic life support (BLS) certification, rather than just the members of auxiliary staff;
 • A mandate that emergency manuals include a protocol for activation of emergency management services for life-threatening complications;
 • The addition of new requirements for during a patient’s pre-operative evaluation; and
 • Mandated compliance with new inspection and evaluation requirements.

Comments on the proposed rule are due by Dec. 2.

ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
 
Issues and Resources
 • ADEA memo [ [link removed] ] regarding vaccines at the state level
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.
 
©2022
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
 
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
 
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Brian Robinson
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
 
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