COVID-19 Vaccines and Dentistry

Transplant pioneer, Peter Medawar, once said that a virus is ‘simply a piece of bad news wrapped in protein’. One could opine then, that the new COVID-19 vaccines are ‘Bits of corona viral proteins in gift wrapping.’ For, most of the COVID-19 vaccines are based on the principle that pre-exposure of the vaccinee's host immune system to the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2, the first part of the viral anatomy that touches the vulnerable host cells, will elicit an effective antibody response to curb potential future infections. COVID-19 vaccines come in many sizes and shapes, and clearly, a return to normal, post-COVID dental practice entails protecting all members of the dental team with an appropriate vaccine, as and when available. We provide a thumbnail sketch of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in the offing, which we hope will be helpful for decision-making for choice of vaccine. The commentary ends with a discussion of the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on dentistry, in general.

Gift Purchases as Catalysts for Strengthening Customer–Brand Relationships

Gift giving is an effective means to strengthen interpersonal relationships; it also may initiate and enhance customer–brand relationships. Through a field study conducted with an international monobrand retailer of beauty products, a combination of propensity score matching with difference-in-differences estimations, and two experimental scenario studies, this research demonstrates that gift buyers spend 63% more in the year following a gift purchase than a matched sample of customers who purchase for their personal use. Specifically, gift buyers increase their purchase frequency (25%), spend more per shopping trip (41%), and engage in more cross-buying (49%). The sales lift is particularly pronounced among new customers. Identity theory suggests customer gratitude and public commitment as mediating mechanisms. Gift purchase design characteristics (i.e., assistance during gift purchase and branded gift wrapping) influence the strength of the mediating mechanisms.