HPI poll: Vast majority of dentists recognize importance of COVID-19 vaccination

The vast majority of dentists find it extremely or very important that they get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the ADA Health Policy Institute’s latest data from its COVID-19 economic impact tracking poll conducted the week of Dec. 14.

The poll found that 64% percent of dentists said it is extremely important to get vaccinated, and another 20% answered it is very important. In addition, the majority believe they should get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them. Older dentists, dentists in large group practices, and specialists find vaccination to be particularly important.

These poll results and other findings were shared in a short webinar available on YouTube, which covered issues related to recovery and renewal, point-of-care COVID-19 testing and consumer sentiment.

The Dec. 14 poll found:

• Patient volume was estimated at 78% of pre-COVID-19 levels — up from 76% in the Nov. 30 poll. Staffing was at 98.5% of pre-COVID-19 levels in dental offices and three-quarters of employee dentists were being paid fully as of the week of Dec. 14.
• Rapid response COVID-19 testing is largely not being offered in dental practices. This may be due to a combination of factors such as cost and availability of reliable testing.
• Vaccine availability remains an important part of bringing the remaining patient base back into the dental office.

HPI launched its COVID-19 economic impact tracking poll on March 23. Dentists were also asked to join a panel in which they complete a biweekly poll. In this latest wave, a nationally representative sample of over 2,700 dentists responded.

Webinars on previous data are available on the ADA YouTube channel .

Links to reports and the interactive data dashboard are available at ADA.org/HPI .