Avian influenza (bird flu) and dentistry. Interview by Nelson L. Rhodus.

Now is the time for dental health care professionals to plan and prepare for their response to a potential pandemic. All dental health care professionals should be vaccinated. Dentists should engage their entire practice teams in those discussions and contingencies. Dentists should become familiar with the national public health plan and comply with it. Dentists should be prepared for an illness in which the principles of prioritization of treatment, including deferring routine care and/or suspending care, might be needed. Dentists should obtain and provide accurate information and should not allow themselves to be swayed by media hype.