Align Technology Supports Efforts to Expand Access to Vaccinations by US Dentists
April 12 2021 - 4:30PM
Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGN), a leading global medical
device company engaged in the design and manufacture of the
Invisalign system, iTero intraoral scanners, and exocad CAD/CAM
services for orthodontic and restorative dentistry, today announced
its support to expand access to vaccinations by U.S. dentists.
As seen over the last year, managing health care
resources during a pandemic or other health crisis is a complex mix
of preparation and execution, with access to responsible care being
a key consideration. Federal, state, and local public health
officials and health care providers have worked to balance access
to COVID-19 testing and healthcare while also meeting other health
needs – both routine and unexpected – that continue even during a
pandemic. As the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19
increases across the U.S., it is important to review and build on
lessons learned in order to optimize responsiveness for future
events. One of those lessons is the potential value of using
networks of existing, trusted, community-level health care
providers when rolling out vaccination plans.
“Since the start of the pandemic, Align’s customers
– primarily dentists and orthodontists across the country – have
been at the forefront of their profession and healthcare, in
general, using social media and virtual appointment and treatment
monitoring tools to stay connected with and communicate public
health and safety protocols to their patients,” said Julie Coletti,
Align Technology senior vice president, chief legal and regulatory
officer. “As essential health care providers of ongoing health care
services, they have earned their patients’ trust by staying current
with the latest health and safety protocols and public health
requirements to safely and responsibly treat their patients.”
As trusted, highly qualified health care
professionals, dentists can expand the number of care providers
that offer immunizations. According to the American Dental
Association, 9 percent of Americans (31 million people) see a
dentist every year, but do not see a physician1. This is a
significant statistic to be considered as part of any future plans
for vaccine administration.
Dentists Provide Experienced
Care
Before completing dental school and becoming
licensed, dentists are professionally trained to administer
intraoral and extraoral injections into nerve tissue for local
anesthesia – which is arguably more difficult to effectively
administer than a vaccine injected into the shoulder muscle.
Further, many states permit dentists to administer dermal fillers,
Botox® injections, and to start IVs for procedures requiring
sedation.
Building on Pandemic Policies
A majority of states have established the
foundation for dentist-provided vaccinations by affirmatively
permitting dentists to administer COVID-19 vaccinations. On March
16, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
amended an emergency declaration under the Public Readiness and
Emergency Preparedness Act to authorize additional providers,
including dentists and dental students,
to vaccinate patients for COVID-19 nationwide regardless
of state laws that prevent dentists from doing so.3
Align believes that these recent pandemic-related
policies should be the start of additional integration of dentists
to vaccinate against other diseases. For example, augmenting the
role of the dental profession in routine immunization of oral
health related diseases such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV) would
increase society’s access to future immunizations.2 Such steps
would establish a more robust vaccine program by expanding access
at a community level through trusted and competent dentists.
1 ADA Health Policy Institute, “Could Dentists
Relieve Physician Shortages, Manage Chronic Disease?”, David
Leader, D.M.D., M.P.H.; Marko Vujicic, Ph.D.; Brittany Harrison,
M.A.;
http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20Research/HPI/Files/HPIBrief_1218_1.pdf
2 North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative (NCOHC),
“Dentists’ Role in Vaccination: An Opportunity for Public Health
Impact”, Zachary Brian, DMD, MHA,
https://oralhealthnc.org/dentists-role-in-vaccination-an-opportunity-for-public-health-impact/
3
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/03/16/2021-05401/seventh-amendment-to-declaration-under-the-public-readiness-and-emergency-preparedness-act-for
About Align Technology, Inc.Align
Technology designs, manufactures and offers the Invisalign® system,
the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero®
intraoral scanners and services, and exocad CAD/CAM software. These
technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and
restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice
efficiencies for over 200 thousand doctor customers, and is key to
accessing Align’s 500 million consumer market opportunity
worldwide. Align has helped doctors treat over 9.6 million patients
with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital
dentistry through the Align Digital Platform, our integrated suite
of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a
seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers,
orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners.
Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.
For additional information about the Invisalign
system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please
visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about the
iTero systems and services, please visit www.itero.com. For
additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a
list of exocad reseller partners, please
visit www.exocad.com.
Align TechnologyMadelyn
Homick408-470-1180mhomick@aligntech.com |
Zeno GroupSarah
Johnson828-551-4201sarah.johnson@zenogroup.com |
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