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Healthcare
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Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic
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Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 27073

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniela Carmagnola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: community oral health; periodontology; histology; oral diseases epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many respects. Some changes have affected us negatively, while others might turn out to have positive aspects and to last.

One documented negative consequence of the pandemic is a general delay in diagnosis and treatment of many conditions and diseases, some unfortunately life-threatening and time sensitive. The reasons for this might stem from the fear of getting infected in healthcare facilities, healthcare facilities’ temporary closures or transition to COVID-19 units, the redirection of healthcare specialists to COVID-19 units, or even a too strict interpretation of stay-at-home measures. On the other hand, the pandemic has, for example, contributed to telemedicine thriving, prompted us to experiment with new ways for teaching to and training healthcare students, and compelled many public and private health services to be reinvented.

The scope of this Special Issue is to gather reports on how oral health has been affected by the pandemic in terms of prevention, care, oral manifestations, diagnosis, and prognosis. Furthermore, of particular interest are experiences of innovative approaches in the offer of public oral health services for the prevention and management of oral health issues. Finally, contributions on how (and if) dental schools should modify their students’ curricula will be appreciated.

Dr. Daniela Carmagnola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • community oral health
  • oral health prevention
  • oral health care
  • early diagnosis
  • risk factors
  • prognosis
  • oral epidemiology

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2402 KiB  
Article
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Dental Emergency Service from Oradea, Romania: A Retrospective Study
by Abel Emanuel Moca, Ioan Andrei Țig, Gabriela Ciavoi, Raluca Iurcov, Lucian Roman Șipoș and Liana Todor
Healthcare 2022, 10(9), 1786; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091786 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1230
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the daily lives of the global population, not only in terms of social interaction but also in terms of access to medical and dental care. Non-urgent dental treatments could not be continued during the lockdown and only a small [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the daily lives of the global population, not only in terms of social interaction but also in terms of access to medical and dental care. Non-urgent dental treatments could not be continued during the lockdown and only a small number of dental centres addressed patients with dental emergencies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, and living environment) of the individuals that accessed the dental emergency centre in Oradea (North-West Romania) and the main causes for accessing the dental emergency service among the population of Oradea (North-West Romania), during the COVID-19 lockdown, between March and May 2020 and, furthermore, to compare the results obtained in the lockdown timeframe (March–May 2020), with the results obtained in the corresponding timeframe in the pre-lockdown year (March–May 2019) and post-lockdown year (March–May 2021). The retrospective study was carried out by analysing the medical records of the patients who were treated in the dental emergency service of the Oradea County Emergency Clinical Hospital in the following periods: March–May 2019, March–May 2020, and March–May 2021. Most patients were treated in 2020, during the lockdown (n = 784), predominantly in April (n = 308). Most patients treated in April 2020 were male patients (43.7%, n = 205) and were aged between 30 and 39 years (19.4%, n = 74). The most frequent types of dental emergencies were acute apical periodontitis and acute pulpitis in all the months and years investigated. During the lockdown months of 2020, acute pulpitis was the most frequent type of emergency in March (42.2%, n = 100) and May (45.6%, n = 109), while in April, acute apical periodontitis was the most frequent type of emergency (43.5%, n = 166). The COVID-19 lockdown led to an increase in the number of patients that required emergency treatments and impacted all groups of people investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)
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9 pages, 486 KiB  
Article
Personal Protection Equipment and Infection Control Procedures among Health Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Daniela Carmagnola, Marilisa Toma, Dolaji Henin, Mariachiara Perrotta, Gaia Pellegrini and Claudia Dellavia
Healthcare 2022, 10(5), 944; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050944 - 19 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1736
Abstract
Health workers have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is unclear which healthcare professions are more exposed. We search for information that can help identify health workers who are employed in exposure-prone professions and who, therefore, routinely wear and adopt [...] Read more.
Health workers have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is unclear which healthcare professions are more exposed. We search for information that can help identify health workers who are employed in exposure-prone professions and who, therefore, routinely wear and adopt strict infection control equipment and measures from other colleagues. Our purpose is to test the hypothesis that health professionals historically considered less exposure-prone are affected more severely by COVID-19. Taking dentists as an example of exposure-prone healthcare professionals, this study aims to analyze data on COVID-19-related deaths reported by the Italian board of doctors and dentists’ database to evaluate the number of COVID-19-related deaths of doctors and dentists in Italy from the beginning of the pandemic to 31 December 2022. As of 31 December 2021, out of 364 deaths, 38 were dentists, and of the remaining 326 doctors, 140 were general practitioners (GPs). The percentage of deaths among dentists, total doctors and GPs results in 0.06%, 0.09% and 0.33%, respectively, for the whole sample. Excluding subjects over 70 years of age, the corresponding values are 0.05%, 0.06% and 0.25%. Most of the deaths occurred in Lombardia, and the geographical distribution overlaps the trend of the corresponding general Italian population. Considering the outcome of “death”, dentists, despite being at high risk, are not particularly affected by COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)
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9 pages, 247 KiB  
Article
Dental Emergencies in an Italian Pediatric Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Daniela Carmagnola, Marilisa Toma, Dolaji Henin, Mariachiara Perrotta, Laura Gianolio, Alessandra Colombo and Claudia Dellavia
Healthcare 2022, 10(3), 537; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030537 - 15 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1673
Abstract
Emergency rooms (ER) are largely used by patients with oral complaints, who choose the ER over private or public dental offices for oral prevention and treatment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the activity of most dental facilities was limited, and most hospitals and ERs [...] Read more.
Emergency rooms (ER) are largely used by patients with oral complaints, who choose the ER over private or public dental offices for oral prevention and treatment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the activity of most dental facilities was limited, and most hospitals and ERs were dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The present study analyzed the number of and reason for visits at the emergency room (ER) of Ospedale dei Bambini “Vittore Buzzi”, the main pediatric hospital in Milano, Italy, between 2019 and 2020, with a particular focus on oral emergencies. In 2019, 25,435 children turned to the ER, compared to 16,750 in 2020. About 10% of the children were eventually admitted to the hospital in both years. The number of admissions for infectious diseases, other than COVID-19, signed an important decrease in 2020, while trauma/injuries decreased slightly in number but increased in proportion. The number and proportion of ER visits for oral complaints decreased in 2020 compared to 2019. Stomatitis was the most frequent condition, followed by traumatic injuries, which decreased in number and percentage between 2019 and 2020. Oral infections and painful caries accounted for about 15% of the cases in both 2019 and 2020. These data highlight the need to promote territorial services for the prevention and treatment of oral health complaints, including dental emergencies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)
10 pages, 1731 KiB  
Article
Virucidal Activity of Different Mouthwashes Using a Novel Biochemical Assay
by Héctor J. Rodríguez-Casanovas, Manuel De la Rosa, Yesit Bello-Lemus, Giulio Rasperini and Antonio J. Acosta-Hoyos
Healthcare 2022, 10(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10010063 - 30 Dec 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 13807
Abstract
Background: Saliva of patients with COVID-19 has a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load. The risk of spreading the virus is not insignificant, and procedures for reducing viral loads in the oral cavity have been proposed. Little research to date has been performed on the [...] Read more.
Background: Saliva of patients with COVID-19 has a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load. The risk of spreading the virus is not insignificant, and procedures for reducing viral loads in the oral cavity have been proposed. Little research to date has been performed on the effect of mouthwashes on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and some of their mechanisms of action remain unknown. Methods: SARS-CoV-2 positive nasopharyngeal swabs measured by RT-PCR were used for virucidal activity in a 1:1 ratio, with an incubation time of 1 min. The solutions used in this study were: iodopovidone (8 mg); * D-limonene, a terpene extracted from citrus peels (0.3%); † cetylpyridinium chloride (0.1%) (CPC); ‡ chlorhexidine gluconate (10%) (CHX); § a CPC (0.12%) and CHX (0.05%) containing formula; ** a formula containing essential oils; †† a CPC containing formula (0.07%); ‡‡ a D-limonene (0.2%) and CPC (0.05%) containing formula; §§ a solution containing sodium fluoride (0.05%) and CPC (0.075%); *** a solution containing CHX (0.12%) and; ††† a CHX (0.2%) containing formula. ‡‡‡ As a control reaction, saline solution or excipient solution (water, glycerin, citric acid, colorant, sodium citrate) was used. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, we can conclude that a mouthwash containing both D-limonene and CPC reduced the virucidal activity in about 6 logs (>99.999% reduction). Hence, establishing a clinical protocol for dentists is suggested, where all patients to be treated rinse pre-operatively with a mouthwash containing both D-limonene and CPC to reduce the likelihood of infection with SARS-CoV-2 for dentists. This is a relatively inexpensive way to reduce viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from infected individuals within the community. It is also a simple way to decrease infections from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)
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9 pages, 564 KiB  
Article
Effect of Triweekly Interdental Brushing on Bleeding Reduction in Adults: A Six-Month Retrospective Study
by Jae-Young Lee, Seon-Jip Kim, Hyo-Jin Lee and Hyun-Jae Cho
Healthcare 2021, 9(9), 1239; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9091239 - 21 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2000
Abstract
This study assessed the effect of triweekly interdental brushing for a period of 6 months using the bleeding on full-mouth interdental brushing (BOFIB) index. All participants answered questionnaires and were instructed to clean all interdental areas using an interdental brush at least every [...] Read more.
This study assessed the effect of triweekly interdental brushing for a period of 6 months using the bleeding on full-mouth interdental brushing (BOFIB) index. All participants answered questionnaires and were instructed to clean all interdental areas using an interdental brush at least every second day. A dentist assessed the BOFIB index of 28 participants at baseline and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. We stratified the participants into three groups: IB-NN, those who used the interdental brush less than three times per week both before and after this program; IB-NY, those who used the interdental brush less than three times per week before the program but at least three times per week after the program; and IB-YY, those who used it at least three times per week both before and after the program. Owing to the weekly number of interdental brushings, the IB-YY and the other two groups showed a significant difference at baseline. At the 6-month follow-up, the weekly number of interdental brushings led to a significant difference between the IB-NN and the other two groups. The BOFIB index was lower among the compliant participants than among the noncompliant participants after 3 and 6 months of triweekly interdental brushing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)
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Review

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7 pages, 246 KiB  
Review
Is Chlorhexidine in Dentistry an Ally or a Foe? A Narrative Review
by Łukasz Pałka, Agnieszka Nowakowska-Toporowska and Bartosz Dalewski
Healthcare 2022, 10(5), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050764 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4601
Abstract
Chlorhexidine has been one of the most effective and popular antiseptic substances used in medicine for decades. In dentistry, it has been used in endodontics, periodontology, surgery, and general dentistry. It is also widely used daily by patients in mouth rinses, gels, or [...] Read more.
Chlorhexidine has been one of the most effective and popular antiseptic substances used in medicine for decades. In dentistry, it has been used in endodontics, periodontology, surgery, and general dentistry. It is also widely used daily by patients in mouth rinses, gels, or toothpastes. Because of its multiple uses, we should follow all types of research reporting its potential adverse effects. This article aims to review the most up-to-date studies regarding chlorhexidine and its possible side effects, in the period of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as the use of different antiseptic substances has rapidly increased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)

Other

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5 pages, 1433 KiB  
Case Report
COVID-19 and Prosthetic Emergencies, Home Care in Fragile Patients: A Case Report
by Saverio Ceraulo, Paolo Caccianiga, Carmelo Casto, Marco Baldoni and Gianluigi Caccianiga
Healthcare 2022, 10(8), 1407; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10081407 - 27 Jul 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1166
Abstract
A case of home care is proposed on a frail non-ambulatory patient who presents an old lower total prosthesis in resin broken in several parts. The various pieces of the prosthesis were joined by the patient, as if it were a puzzle, using [...] Read more.
A case of home care is proposed on a frail non-ambulatory patient who presents an old lower total prosthesis in resin broken in several parts. The various pieces of the prosthesis were joined by the patient, as if it were a puzzle, using a glue for plastics and wood. The union of the parts attached with glue was the consequence of the lockdown in the COVID-19 period and of the economic hardship experienced by the elderly disabled patient during the pandemic period. The procedure for preserving the glued parts was carried out carefully, trying not to modify the edges of the glued pieces, to join them correctly, thereby restoring the correct occlusion to subsequently perform the relining. The old lower total prosthesis obtained after the repair and relining operations allowed for the restoration of the patient’s chewing and smile. The procedure presented is easily repeatable, risk-free and achievable even in a short time, satisfying elderly non-self-sufficient patients who need interventions for prosthetic emergencies during a period of confinement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthcare and Prevention during the Pandemic)
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