Perceived Preparedness of Dental Academic Institutions to Cope with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Country Survey

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Health and Dental Practice of Oral Healthcare Workers: A Scoping Review

This study aims to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health and dental practice of oral health-care workers (OHCWs). The search for relevant literature was carried out online using PubMed, Web of science, and science direct databases from January 2020 to February 2021. Those articles were included that provided complete information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral health-care workers during covid-19 and were original articles and reviews. Those articles were excluded from the current study that was not in English Language and involved case reports/book chapters/short communications. Finally, only 8 articles were selected for the scoping review considering that complete information regarding the provision of dental care in the time of COVID-19 was provided. Increased psychological distress (especially those with existing comorbidities) was noted among the OHCWs during this pandemic. They had enough knowledge about COVID-19 and showed concern regarding the future of dentistry. Either complete or partial closure of dental clinics had introduced financial constraints among them. However, the majority of them did not switch their profession. The institutions were not prepared for any such situation and no training was conducted to control the spread of COVID-19 infection. OHCWs are fully aware of the knowledge regarding COVID-19 and showed concerns for dentistry and dental health-care workers during this pandemic. Complete or partial closure of dental clinics has had adverse effects on the future of dentistry, economically as well as psychologically. Institutions need to upgrade and strengthen their systems to cater to any such situation efficiently. Proper counseling sessions should be conducted for the OHCWs to monitor, identify and treat the cases found.

The antibacterial effect of nanosilver fluoride in relation to caries activity in primary teeth: a protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive dentistry is a highly convenient and efficient method of managing caries in pediatric patients. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is commonly used to arrest active caries lesions. However, the associated black stain, possibility of soft tissue injury, and unpleasant taste often limit its use. Recently, nanosilver fluoride (NSF) emerged as a promising topical fluoride agent with potent cariostatic and antibacterial potentials. This novel anticaries agent has gained attention as an alternative to overcome the drawbacks of SDF in caries arrest.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the antibacterial effect of NSF in relation to caries activity in dentin caries lesions, as well as to investigate the change in saliva bacterial levels in primary teeth in comparison to SDF after 1 and 3 months.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty children aged 4 to 6 years old with active dentin caries lesions (score 5 according to International Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II) criteria) will be enrolled in the study. They will be equally and randomly allocated into 2 groups: a group receiving NSF and a control group receiving SDF treatment. Microbiological samples will be collected from the carious lesions and from unstimulated saliva at the baseline and at the 1 and 3 months' follow-up appointments. Bacterial counts will be assessed using Mitis Salivarius agar (selective culture media for S. mutans) and Rogosa agar (selective culture media for lactobacilli), and the results will be expressed in colony-forming units. Data regarding the children's oral health will be collected and their dmf index will be scored. The arrest of active carious lesions will be measured at the follow-up appointments according to ICDAS II criteria.

RESULTS

The relation between bacterial colony counts and lesion activity for both groups will be assessed, as well as the change in salivary bacterial counts. The collected data will be statistically evaluated and tabulated. This clinical trial has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov in January 2022 (original version) with ID: NCT05221749.

Teacher's perceptions, institutional challenges, and educational sustainability during Covid-19 in Ecuador

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected global educational systems, especially in developing countries. Therefore, governments and educational administrators have adopted contingency measures to maintain the functioning and the sustainability of their national educational systems. These measures involved the use of technologies and have enabled a significant amount of teachers to continue working with their students around the globe. This article aims to analyze the perception of Ecuadorian teachers about the contingency measures taken at the governmental and institutional levels while facing the COVID-19 crisis. Also, several aspects regarding the teachers' perceptions about their technological skills, access to electronic devices, and implications of teleworking in their mental health and performance are also analyzed. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 3,183 Ecuadorian teachers working at all levels of education. An online questionnaire which obtained a reliability of 0.84 in Cronbach's Alpha was used. The results show that despite the high levels of uncertainty, most teachers agreed with the measures that had been taken by the Government, the Ministry of Education as well as their institutions and reported feeling comfortable with teleworking. However, the lack of technological resources in rural areas and the lack of trust in the effectiveness of online classes are aspects that need to be analyzed before considering the viability of long-term online education in Ecuador.

The Impact of Information Sources on COVID-19-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) among University Students: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus accompanied by a tsunami of misinformation and fake news. This can weaken the public health responses by affecting the COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the public. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was designed during the early stage of the pandemic to evaluate the KAP of Palestinian university students and their commonly used information sources. We found that the most trusted information source among students was the World Health Organization (WHO), followed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) briefings and healthcare workers, whereas social media was the most frequently used source of information. The participants exhibited a high level of COVID-19-related knowledge, having an average score of 8.65 (range: 0–10). In total, 76% avoided going to crowded places, and only 33% wore a mask while being outdoors. The vast majority (93%) checked the accuracy of COVID-19-related information before publishing it, 56% used the WHO and MoH briefings for fact-checking, and only 8% relied on healthcare workers. This was particularly the case for those who lived in refugee camps. This study provides an insight into the information sources used by Palestinian university students, the sources they trust, and the information formats they prefer. These results may help public health authorities to locate the information sources through which university students should be targeted. Efforts should be made to recommend healthcare workers as credible information sources. In this way, they will be able to prevent the spread of misleading information and provide high-quality information, especially within unconventional settings such as refugee camps.

Impact of COVID-19 on dental education- a scoping review

BACKGROUND

A new corona virus called COVID-19 and its epidemic has affected health care systems in many ways. There have also been significant changes in dental education. The present study summarizes the findings about dental education resulting from a scoping review of COVID-19 and dentistry.

METHODS

First, a comprehensive search of five databases (Google Scholar, Medline through PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Central) was conducted with the keywords: COVID-19 and its equivalent terms, dentistry, education, oral, students, curriculum, and academics. Articles related to oral health and COVID-19 were searched. Then articles on the subject of dental education were screened and reviewed.

RESULTS

Of the 1389 articles investigating COVID-19 and dentistry, 135 articles were related to dental education and its relationship with COVID-19. The most articles in this field were from the United States, India, and Saudi Arabia. Most of the articles were cross-sectional and then review articles. Based on the review the articles were divided into two main categories of changes and concerns, and opportunities and solutions. Moreover, the following themes were extracted: teaching-learning quality and methods, study career and how students are prepared, infection control policies, theses, exams and assessments, financial and economic security, students and staff's mental health, school's policies and curricula, knowledge of students and staff about COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental education now faces big challenges, some of which have never been experienced before. On the other hand, the epidemic has created opportunities for dental education as well. Most of these challenges and opportunities are the same around the world, and the findings of the present study can be a good help to overcome the challenges ahead as well as a good reference to find the right questions to be answered in future studies.

Safety of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine: Independent Evidence from Two EU States

Recent reports of thrombosis following AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in young females (<55 years-old) led to temporary suspension and urgent investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that concluded that vaccine benefits still outweigh its side effects (SEs). Therefore, this study aims to provide early independent evidence on the vaccine SEs’ prevalence and their potential risk factors; a cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out between February and March 2021 in Germany and Czech Republic among healthcare workers who recently received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The study used a validated self-administered questionnaire composed of twenty-eight multiple-choice items covering demographic variables, medical anamneses, and local, systemic, oral, and skin related SEs of the vaccine. Out of the ninety-two included participants, 77.2% were females and 79.3% were from Germany. Their mean age was 35.37 ± 12.62 (19–64) years-old, 15.2% had chronic illnesses and 22.8% were receiving medical treatments. Overall, 94.6% of the participants reported at least one SE. The most common local SE was injection site pain (72.8%), and the most common systemic SEs were fatigue (73.9%), muscle pain (55.4%), chills (48.9%), feeling unwell (46.7%), nausea (45.7%), and headache (29.3%). The vast majority (91.9%) resolved within 1–3 days, and the below 35 years-old group was the least affected age group. The SEs’ frequency was insignificantly higher in females and previously infected participants; the vaccine safety for the elderly was supported by the early findings of this study. Chronic illnesses and medical treatments were not associated with an increased risk of SE incidence and frequency. No blood disorder SEs were reported in our sample. Further independent studies are highly required to evaluate the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine and to explore whether gender or previous infection could be associated with the vaccine SEs.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Academic Activity and Health Status among Romanian Medical Dentistry Students; A Cross-Sectional Study

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental faculties had to rethink their way of teaching and interacting with students and of delivering solid theoretical knowledge and practical skills to students.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the study was to assess dentistry students' opinions about the online activity, together with a self-evaluation of their mental and physical health, during the first wave of the pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey. Three hundred and three students, enrolled across all six years of study, were included in the research. Socio-demographic and academic data were collected, along with a self-evaluation of physical and mental status. Some items investigated students' opinions about distance learning and the impact of that online activity on their achievement. The answers were rated using a five-item Likert-like scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS (v.24).

RESULTS

statistical analyses showed that more than 20% of the students strongly agreed with the statement that they felt more anxious and depressed during the first months of the pandemic, and more than 30% were totally satisfied with their relationships with their family members. One-fifth of the respondents declared that they were totally dissatisfied with the relationships with their colleagues and friends. Overall, 50.60% of the students attended the courses/labs in their entirety when they were connected online. Two-thirds of the respondents considered that their practical training was affected due to the online activity, and that not all of the subjects could be taught online. More than half of the respondents agreed that the most objective evaluation method is that of the multiple-choice exams administered at school, and considered that exclusively utilizing online assessments of students encourages unethical behaviors. Age, involvement in online activity, and active participation using video cameras were strongly correlated with satisfaction with academic results.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study showed that online activity was a good alternative for dentistry students during the pandemic restrictions. The positive aspects, together with the negative consequences, of distance learning should also be taken into consideration by university teachers and academic institutions to improve teaching experiences and to ensure a solid professional formation for dentistry students.

The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dentists in Germany

Since the announcement of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic, several studies reported increased psychological distress among healthcare workers. In this investigation, we examined the association between psychological outcomes and various factors among German dentists. Dentists from all German federal states were invited to participate in this study through a self-administered online questionnaire between July and November 2020. This questionnaire collected information on demographics, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) instrument. The associations displayed between demographic and psychological outcomes of depression, anxiety, stress, intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal were evaluated. Seven-hundred-and-thirty-two dentists participated in the survey and reported overall scores of (4.88 ± 4.85), (2.88 ± 3.57), (7.08 ± 5.04), (9.12 ± 8.44), (10.68 ± 8.88) and (10.35 ± 8.68) for depression, anxiety, stress, intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal, respectively. For females, being between 50-59 years of age, being immune deficient or chronically ill, working at a dental practice, and considering the COVID-19 pandemic a financial hazard were reported as significant associated factors (p < 0.05) with higher DASS-21 and IES-R scores. These findings underline the aspects which need to be taken into attention to protect the mental wellbeing of dentists in Germany during the crisis.