It was not a good year

I was in a gift shop prior to the second lockdown, and pricked up my ears to listen to the background muzak: bizarrely, it was playing ‘It was a very good year’ a song written by Ervin Drake and made famous by Frank Sinatra on his 1965 album ‘September of my years’. He was awarded a Grammy in the following year for the ‘Best Male Vocal Performance’. In the song, he recounts the years he remembers fondly in his romantic life and the women who were part of that. He looks back on these memories, finishing by adding that he thinks of his life as vintage wine, as the song title is often used to describe. The shop had obviously not updated its playlist for some time!

Not many can say that 2020 has been a good year, perhaps only the distance conferencing software manufacturers and some on-line superstores. The COVID-19 pandemic struck, with, to date, 50 million people infected, and, sadly, 1.2 million people across the world and over 60,000 in the UK no longer being with us. Dental surgeries in the UK were closed, patients were disadvantaged, with many practice owners wondering how they could survive. Ironically, it was the practice owners who had invested heavily in their practice facilities and equipment who were most affected. As if that wasn't bad enough, re-opening in June presented practitioners with the problem of managing the aerosols that are generated when a turbine handpiece is used with the associated risk that they could contain the virus, even if that had not actually been proven scientifically. In this regard, research carried out in Germany¹ (where many practices stayed open) indicated that, after 90 days of reduced clinical activity, the majority of practices will generate very reduced profits, and, if the reduced activity continues for longer, a proportion of practices will yield negative profits in 2020, the consequences of which do not bear thinking about. It will be the same in the UK. Additionally, some patients will be so worried about the perceived risks of COVID-19 when attending a dental surgery as to put off their visit, with potential risks to their oral health. Furthermore, complex treatment plans, which take months to complete, may also be likely to be the treatments that are most affected.