Awareness and Readiness of Dentists to Practice amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3318-3321
Author(s):  
Ehsan ul Haq ◽  
Ahmad Liaqat ◽  
Mujtaba Nadeem ◽  
Shaheen Ahmad ◽  
Saba Hanif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Sindh Province ◽  
Practice Methods ◽  
Gilgit Baltistan ◽  
Dental Professionals

Background: Corona Virus spreads via droplets and air. Dentists are at high risk due to proximity to the oral cavity and the production of droplets during procedures. Aim: To assess awareness of COVID19 among dental professionals and check their knowledge about the COVID-19 disease, its route of spread, clinical symptoms, tests for diagnosis, prevention in dental practice for a safe return to the dental practice. Methods: Online questionnaires were shared with dentists all over the country using convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire assessed knowledge, aptitude and effect on dental practice. SPSS, v. 21.0 was used for analysis. Results: Total number of participants was (316) and were from all provinces of the country (Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, KPK, Gilgit Baltistan). Most of the entries were from Sindh province (58.1%). Most of the participants are qualified as BDS(69.4%), 11.7% are FCPS, 5.7% are BDS with additional certifications. Participation from the age group 20-30 years was 74% followed by 18% of the age group 30-40. Conclusions: Dentists of our country were well aware of this pandemic and are fully equipped to manage their practices while preventing cross-contamination. Keywords: dentists, COVID-19, pandemic, Personal protective equipment

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in a Dental Practice in Spain: After the Outbreak

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shashi Dadlani
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Health Ministry ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Dental Practices ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Spanish Health ◽  
Dental Professionals

The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, due to a virus named SARS-CoV-2 discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Many countries have been hit hard including Spain, with the highest number of healthcare workers being infected (>50,000). A lack of personal protective equipment and protocols at the time of the outbreak led to many fatalities. Although few of these healthcare workers are dental professionals, this community required protective measures as well. Fortunately, there are no reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in dental practices. Dental professionals were advised only to treat dental emergencies, and such cases were screened via telephone to maintain social distancing. Nevertheless, new protocols and measures are needed as dental professionals return to normal practice after weeks of confinement in many countries. Relatively, few articles have discussed the management of dental practice during the SARS-CoV-2 with no known articles on postpandemic outbreak guidelines. Though some protocols and measures are the same, there are also many differences. Here, we describe protocols and measures for dental practice in Spain in accordance with the Spanish Health Ministry.

scholarly journals Haematological profile of children with malaria in Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syilvia Jiero ◽  
Ayodhia Pitaloka Pasaribu
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Infection ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Malaria Diagnosis ◽  
White Blood Count ◽  
P Value ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Haematological Profile ◽  
West Papua

Abstract Background Malaria remains a major public health problem in Indonesian Papua, with children under five years of age being the most affected group. Haematological changes, such as cytopenia that occur during malaria infection have been suggested as potential predictors and can aid in the diagnosis of malaria. This study aimed to assess the haematological alterations associated with malaria infection in children presenting with signs and symptoms of malaria. Methods A retrospective study was performed by collecting data from the medical records of malaria patients at Sorong Regional General Hospital, Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia, both from outpatient and inpatient clinics, from January 2014 until December 2017. The laboratory profile of children suffering from malaria was evaluated. Results One hundred and eighty-two children aged 1 month to 18 years old were enrolled. The subjects were mostly male (112, 61.5%) with a mean age of 6.45 years (SD = 4.3 years). Children below 5 years of age suffered the most from malaria in this study (77, 42.3%). One hundred two subjects (56%) were infected with Plasmodium falciparum. Half of the enrolled subjects (50%) had haemoglobin level (Hb) between 5.1 and 10 gr/dL. A total of 41 children (53.2%) less than 5 years old suffered from P. falciparum infection. In the age group of 5–10 years, there were 34 children (57.6%) who suffered from P. falciparum, and in the age group > 10 years, 27 children (58.7%) suffered from P. falciparum infection. Only 4 subjects (5.2%) in the less than 5 years old age group had mixed malaria infection. Among eight predictors of the haematological profile, there were five predictors that were significantly associated with the diagnostic criteria, namely haemoglobin, haematocrit, leukocytes, platelets and monocytes (p < 0.05). Generally, clinical symptoms are not significantly associated with a malaria diagnosis, and only one variable showed a significant relationship, pale, with a P value of 0.001. Conclusions Children with malaria had changes in some haematological markers, with anaemia, low platelet count, white blood count, and lymphocyte count being the most important predictors of malaria infection in the study area. These markers could be used to raise suspicion of malaria in children living in high endemic areas, such as West Papua.

scholarly journals COVID-19—Awareness and Practice of Dentists in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 330
Author(s):  
Bassel Tarakji ◽  
Mohammad Zakaria Nassani ◽  
Faisal Mehsen Alali ◽  
Anas B. Alsalhani ◽  
Nasser Raqe Alqhtani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Dental Clinic ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Environmental Surfaces ◽  
Guidelines And Recommendations ◽  
Current Guidelines ◽  
Dental Professionals

Dental professionals have a major role in the fight against the spread and transmission of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate awareness and practice of dentists in Saudi Arabia regarding COVID-19 and the utilization of infection control methods. A 24-item questionnaire was developed and distributed through social media to 627 dentists working in Saudi Arabia. 177 questionnaires were completed (28.2% response rate). Most dentists were aware about the transmission, incubation time and main clinical symptoms of COVID-19. Almost 83% of the respondents appreciate the risk of droplets, aerosols and airborne particles in transmission of COVID-19 in the dental clinic. Among the common practices of participants are measuring patient’s body temperature before undertaking a dental treatment (88.7%), cleaning the environmental surfaces at the dental clinic after each patient (91.5%) and restriction of dental treatment to emergency cases (82.5%). It seems that practicing dentists in Saudi Arabia are fairly aware about COVID-19. The practices of the surveyed dentists appear to be mostly consistent with the current guidelines and recommendations for infection control of COVID-19 in the dental clinic. Some drawbacks in knowledge and a number of inappropriate practices can be identified and require the attention of health authorities.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody in Hospital Staff in Double-Center Setting: A Preliminary Report of a Cohort Study From Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani ◽  
Behnam Honarvar ◽  
Navid Omidifar ◽  
Majid Pakdin ◽  
Mohsen Moghadami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Shift Workers ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Infection Risk Factors ◽  
High Risk Populations ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Proper Disposal

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 in China in late 2019 was an unprecedented catastrophe that also involved many other countries, including Iran. Concerning the danger of disease contagion, it is necessary to detect asymptomatic or mild cases, especially in hospital staff who are highly exposed to the disease. Objectives: In this serosurvey study, we aimed to estimate IgG seroprevalence among hospital staff in two public hospitals to determine local transmission and infection risk factors, as well as protective immunity among high-risk populations. Methods: Screening was offered to the hospital staff of two public hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. Screening involved the measurement of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Besides, a checklist that consisted of questions about sociodemographic, occupational, and epidemiological characteristics was completed by the participants. Results: Among 494 participants in this study, 29 (5.8%) had anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in their blood. Besides, 320 (64.8%) had at least one of the clinical symptoms within six months before this survey. Among participants with positive PCR, nine (21.4%) had anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, while this figure was seven (33.3%) for individuals with positive CT scans. Non-proper disposal of used protective equipment or infectious wastes (OR = 26.5), rotational daily work shifts (OR = 7.5), being anxious about getting COVID-19 (OR = 3.8), and age (OR = 1.06) were the significant determinants of having anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in the hospital staff. Conclusions: It is essential to continue training and giving technical consultations about COVID-19, especially the proper disposal of used protective equipment or infectious wastes in rotational daily shift workers.

scholarly journals OUTCOME AND ROOTS OF EARLY MARRIAGES IN GILGIT-BALTISTAN: A QUANTITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Saima Baig ◽  
Asmat Ullah
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Early Marriage ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Primary And Secondary Education ◽  
Northern Areas ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive ◽  
Second Category ◽  
Gilgit Baltistan

The aim of this study was to find out the causes and outcome of the early marriages in the light of victims and gatekeepers observations. However, one-third of under-aged girls in the developing countries are married before the age of 18 years. Although in Northern areas of Pakistan, early marriage is a very common problem in both gender, especially, in Gilgit-Baltistan and the ratio is higher than any other part of the country. Moreover, in this region, early marriage is prevailed due to traditional customs, religious dominance and supernatural evil. The present study chose two categories, first category for victims which includes respondents of age group from 10 to 40 years old and married before 18 years of age. The second category was chosen for interpretation of the community gatekeepers. We utilized a quantitative survey method to collect data from each district and examined 200 sample. A sample is divided into two groups, the victim's group includes 150 respondents and the group of gatekeepers includes 50 sample size. The tailor-made close-ended questionnaire was designed for the collection of data. Beside this, a Likert scale was also used for Professionals.  There is a need to take some serious steps to eliminate this social disease which promotes the illiteracy, poverty, crime, economic burden, terrorism, domestic violence and rapid increase in population which is surmounting challenges in the pathway of regional development. Early marriage has psychological, physical and economic consequences; most girls remain unable to complete their primary and secondary education and also have the negative impact on their health.

scholarly journals Personal Protective Equipment used for Infection Control in Dental Practices

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
AP Pandit ◽  
Neha Bhagatkar ◽  
Mallika Ramachandran
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Dental Equipment ◽  
Dental Practices ◽  
A Current ◽  
Dental Professionals ◽  
Total Market ◽  
Dental Products

ABSTRACT The potential size of India's dental market is vast and is expected to become one of the largest single country markets for overseas dental products and materials. The total market for the dental equipment and materials is estimated to be around US$ 90 million annually. There are more than 1, 80,000 dental professionals in India, 297 dental institutes and over 5,000 dental laboratories. Thus, there is a huge potential for the market of personal protective equipment (PPE) used for infection control in dentistry. India's market for dental products is extremely dynamic, with a current estimated growth rate of between 25 and 30%. Overall, the dental market is expected to grow by 20%.1 The personal protective equipment used in the practice of dentistry in India. Since dentistry is predominantly a surgical discipline, it leads to exposure to the pathogenic microorganisms harbored in blood, body fluids and other potentially infectious material. Thus, the use of adequate and good quality PPE is imperative for infection control in dental practice. With the growing potential of India's dental market, the growth of the market for PPE is inevitable. But, it is equally important to raise the awareness among dental community about good quality products adhering to required standards to prevent the usage of low-cost, uncertified and sub-standard products that decrease the safety levels of personnel. The present study is conducted with a view to observe the personal protective equipment used for infection control in dental practices. How to cite this article Pandit AP, Bhagatkar N, Ramachandran M. Personal Protective Equipment used for Infection Control in Dental Practices. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2015;3(1):10-12.

Safeguarding in the dental practice

2022 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-24
Author(s):  
Priya Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Dental Practice ◽  
Dental Professionals

Priya Sharma outlines the types of abuse and the responsibilities of dental professionals

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental practice in Iran: a questionnaire-based report

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanie Ahmadi ◽  
Alireza Ebrahimi ◽  
Farhad Ghorbani
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Dental Services ◽  
Emergency Procedures ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Dental Practitioners ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The highly contagious nature of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), besides the fact that dental procedures commonly generate blood and saliva droplets that could lead to the contagion have resulted in the closure of many dental clinics. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on dental practice by conducting an online questionnaire among the Iranian dental practitioners and finding their perspectives on the subject. Methods This report is based on a questionnaire that was conducted among Iranian dentists. The survey included questions that evaluate the dentists’ perceptions and attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on their personal life, financial status, and the quality of dental services for patients. Results Overall, 240 dentists contributed to this study (214 general dentists and 26 specialists). The majority of the participants (n = 170, 70%) did not perform non-emergency procedures during the pandemic. The dental practitioners have suggested several strategies to decrease the risk of contagion, such as reducing treatment sessions (n = 90, 37%), strict triage of patients (n = 156, 64%), and using personal protective equipment (n = 108, 45%). However, most of the dentists (n = 210, 87%) had problems, providing personal protective equipment during the pandemic. Moreover, 97% (n = 234) of the participants reported that they encountered a decrease in their financial income since the eruption of the pandemic. Conclusion Dental health care workers are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19. Thus, dental practitioners ought to execute the standard protocols more cautiously during the pandemic. They could also lower their work hours and limit dental procedures to emergency treatments to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Besides, the public organizations should provide proper equipment for the dental practitioners to decrease the risk of contagion.

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