Dental Providers Offer a Key Access Point for COVID-19 Booster Shots

Published 06/07/2021

After the early success in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccines, it’s becoming clear that people will likely need an additional “booster” shot to ensure ongoing immunity. Dental providers can play an important role by administering both vaccines and booster shots that will protect Americans from the virus or new variants.

In March 2021, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health surveyed 377 dental providers in the DentaQuest network, assessing their willingness to administer the COVID-19 vaccine and subsequent boosters.

Key findings include:

  • 49% of dental providers said they were either offering the COVID-19 vaccine to patients or were interested in doing so.
  • Dental providers in public health settings were 10 times more likely to be offering COVID-19 vaccines than providers in private practice (44% versus 4%).
  • However, 43% of providers in private practice expressed interest in offering the vaccine.  

Each year, more than 19 million Americans visit a dentist but do not see any other medical providers. Dental practices can be a key access point for the immunizations that will reduce barriers to care and allow Americans to return to normal life.

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