Wisconsin dentists donate protective equipment in response to COVID-19

The Wisconsin Dental Association is donating personal protective equipment to the state to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Executive Director Mark Paget said they were going to use the supplies for its Mission of Mercy project, a free dental clinic offered every other year.

The event, slated for June in Green Bay, has been rescheduled for next year due to COVID-19.

“We were thinking and hearing on the news and talking to people that PPE – personal protective equipment – was in short supply,” he said. “We thought, ‘Well, rather than have that sit in a warehouse for a year and not need it until next June, maybe we could put it to good use and support other healthcare professionals.’”

They have 20,000 masks; 26,000 gloves; and 1,700 gowns. Paget said the association reached out and heard from the Wisconsin Emergency Management and the Wisconsin National Guard, which is making arrangements to send a truck and troops to the association’s warehouse. They’ll then distribute them to where it’s needed.

Paget said that the Greater Dane Dental Society and the Greater Milwaukee Dental Association are also collecting personal protective equipment from dental offices and donating them to hospitals in their respective areas.

Paget said they’re following the lead of the American Dental Association, which has recommended that dentists stop elective procedures like cosmetic care and cleaning and only treat emergencies.

“Our members are totally on board,” he said. “We recognize we play an important role in the health of our Wisconsin residents.”

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