Stress and Financial Burden Faced by Dentists Amidst COVID 19 Pandemic

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic, initiated in Wuhan, China, had devastating effects on the dental industry world-wide. The mode of transmission of SARS Cov-2, causative agent of Covid-19, was through aerosol and saliva contamination putting dentists at high risk of contracting Covid-19. The measures taken to contain the spread of virus had financial repercussion on the dental industry. The survey was conducted to understand the mental health of dentists amidst Covid-19 pandemic. Aim: To analyse the concerns and anxiety faced by dental surgeons regarding vaccination and the psychological and socio-economic impact Covid-19 pandemic had on dental setups. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of 3 months. A sample size of 300 dentists belonging to age group of 25years to 45years was analysed. The dentists included in the sample practiced in Maharashtra, India. A questionnaire was formulated in Google forms and circulated through social media platform. The result was analysed and demonstrated in pie-charts. Results: The survey analysed that majority of dentists were apprehensive to carry out dental procedures. Along with the risk of contracting and being a source of transmission of Covid-19, dentists had huge financial burden of clinic rents, EMI loan pending bills, the cost of preventive kits and reduced patient flow. Conclusion: The survey was successful in analysing the monetary and safety concerns faced by dentists amidst Covid-19 pandemic. The survey also pointed out the mental stress dentists had to overcome to practice dental procedures.

Awareness and precaution attitude of dentists as regards to risks associated with exposure to COVID-19

Objective: Dentists need a high level of awareness to limit the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019). This study aimed to evaluate the level of awareness and attitude regarding the risk associated with dental procedures among dentists. Material and Methods: An online questionnaire was submitted to dentists between April- May 2020. The questionnaire form included questions related to demographic data, the transmission characterization of SARS-CoV-2, and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS V23 and chi-square test (p 0.05). Results: A total of 3825 participants (29.1 7.6 years) were included. In COVID-19, the riskiest dental branch in terms of the risk of contamination through saliva was considered to be Periodontics (32.2%), while the least risky branch was Orthodontics (0.2%). Specific dental treatment procedures considered at high risk of contamination were tooth preparation (69.4%), scaling and root planing (63.5%), filling (53.4%), and pulpectomy (40.5%). The parameters of the study that differed according to gender and professional status were the viability of the virus, the risk assessment, saliva contamination risk, and aerosol-generating activities for COVID-19 (p 0.05). Conclusion: Dentists were aware of the risk assessment and extra precautionary methods. However, they had limited knowledge about the viability of the virus. Dentists should be aware of recommended approaches and update their knowledge about COVID-19 to limit the spread of the disease. Since dentistry is an area suitable for the transmission of the COVID-19, the fact that dentists have information about the viability of this virus will be lifesaving in clinical applications. Keywords COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Dentistry; Risk; Viability.

A literature review on precautionary measures in dental practice during the pandemic: Covid-19

During the spread of pandemic disease, dental practice come across the highest risk of corona virus infection by the exposure from patient saliva, aerosols generation during the dental procedure, blood contamination during oral surgical procedure. This virus can be transmitted from symptomatic to asymptomatic individual through aerosol spread, saliva contamination. Due to its ability of airborne transmission, so aerosols generated through natural activity or during the time of any dental treatment procedure has the ability to transmit the virus from infected person to the surrounding person.

Retention Forces of Monolithic CAD/CAM Crowns Adhesively Cemented to Titanium Base Abutments—Effect of Saliva Contamination Followed by Cleaning of the Titanium Bond Surface

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of saliva contamination and the cleaning of the bond surface of titanium base (ti-base) abutments on the bonding stability and retention force values. The bond surface of the ti-base abutments was treated with airborne-particle abrasion. After contamination, the ti-base abutments underwent different cleaning protocols: water spray (H2O); alcohol (ALC); suspension of zirconium particles (SZP); reapplied airborne-particle abrasion (APA); and a control condition without contamination and cleaning (CTR). All lithium disilicate crowns were bonded to the ti-base abutments using a primer and a self-curing composite. Bonded specimens underwent thermo-mechanical aging. Bond failure analysis and pull-off testing were performed. Bond failure occurred more frequently in groups H2O, ALC, SZP, and APA (p < 0.05). Significant differences in retention force values were only found between CTR and ALC (p < 0.05). Specimens which did not show bond failure after ageing had higher retention force values than the specimens that showed bond failure (p < 0.05). Saliva contamination with cleaning can degrade the bonding properties to titanium. For the retention force values, only the protocol with alcohol after contamination could not restore the values.

Chlamydia trachomatis transmission between the oropharynx, urethra and anorectum in men who have sex with men: a mathematical model

Background It has been presumed that Chlamydia trachomatis is transmitted between men only through anal or oral sex, but no mathematical models have tested this presumption. Methods To test this presumption, we created 20 compartmental mathematical models of different sexual practices that included both oral and anal sex and calibrated these models to the observed rates of Chlamydia trachomatis infection at three anatomical sites from 4888 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Melbourne Sexual Health Centre during 2018–2019. Results A model that included only oral and anal sex could replicate the observed rates of single-site infection at the oropharynx, urethra and rectum alone, but could not replicate infection at more than one of these sites (multisite). However, if we included transmission from sexual practices that followed one another in the same sexual episode (e.g. saliva contamination of the penis from oral sex transmitting chlamydia to the rectum by anal sex), we significantly improved the calibration of multisite infection rates substantially. Conclusions Our modelling study suggests that transmission routes other than just oral and anal sex are necessary to explain the high rate of Chlamydia trachomatis infection at more than one site.

Effect of decontamination methods on shear bond strength of resin cement to translucent monolithic zirconia

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of decontamination methods on shear bond strength of resin cement to translucent monolithic zirconia. Material and Methods. Eighty 4-mol yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal specimens were fabricated. All specimens were subjected to saliva contamination and divided into four groups (n=20) according to the decontamination methods: 70% isopropanol (AL); zirclean (ZC); 5.25% sodium ypochlorite (NaOCL); and no cleaning (NC). All specimens were bonded by using self-adhesive resin cement. Half of the specimens in each group (n=10) were subjected to thermocycling. All specimens were subjected to shear bond strength test in a universal testing machine. Failure modes were evaluated by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The data obtained were statistically analyzed by using one-way ANOVA followed by the HSD Tukey test (P < 0.05). Results. ANOVA test revealed a significant difference among the different decontamination methods (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found among NaOCL, ZC, and AL groups as revealed by the HSD Tukey test (P > 0.05). The effect of thermocycling was significantly different in all groups (P < 0.05); whereas, no significant difference was found in group ZC (P > 0.05). (SEM) analysis showed mixed failures in all groups except in group NC where only adhesive failure was observed. Conclusion. Saliva contamination during clinical evaluation significantly decreases the shear bond strength between self-adhesive resin cement and translucent monolithic zirconia. The cleaning gel has an impact on improving the bond strength between resin cement and translucent monolithic zirconia. KEYWORDS Monolithic zirconia; Resin cement; Shear bond strength test; Translucent zirconia; Zirclean.