AUSTIN — The state dental board on Wednesday voted to let Texas dentists resume performing elective procedures and providing non-urgent care, starting Friday.
The board’s move to ease coronavirus restrictions imposed last month by Gov. Greg Abbott alarmed many dental hygienists, who have protested that some dental offices won’t have the advanced personal protective equipment that federal public-health guidelines recommend.
And it flouted the federal Centers on Disease Control and Prevention’s continuing advice that dental care is risky in the age of COVID-19 — and non-emergency procedures and surgeries should be postponed.
Late Wednesday, there were indications that Abbott’s office doesn’t like the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners’ proposal and wants it tightened — possibly at a special meeting to be called for Thursday. Boyd Bush, the licensing agency’s executive director, confirmed, “We will likely have a board meeting” on Thursday.