Systematic Review with no Meta-analysis of Coronavirus COVID-19

AIMS: COVID-19 is a new virus which has spread to most countries in the world. Many papers have been published on the clinical manifestations of this virus. This paper concentrates only on the clinical cases and prognosis of COVID-19 presented in the literature. METHODS: Systematic review is done, and taken into consideration, all published papers in the literature related to COVID-19. Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been applied. RESULTS: Few papers have been determined after many filtrations of all published papers concerning inclusion and exclusion criteria to assess outcome of existing COVID-19. Most published papers or reports did not provide full details for each case. CONCLUSION: Most clinical description data in these reports are so limited and missing some of the critical elements such as the date of infection, source of infection, symptoms, diagnostic criteria, incubation of infection, transmission of infection, number of identified cases after contact with infected patients, and health workers are affected or not by treatment of infected patients, patient age, and type of study. No clear evidence of the treatment plan and the prevention and most data in literature depending on personal experience only which is different from country to others

COVID-19 Guidelines to Protect Healthcare Workers at Hospitals and Dental Professionals at Dental Office

BACKGROUND፡ Coronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. This study aimed to address the preventive procedures to protect healthcare workers at hospital to avoid COVID-19, and infection control procedures to protect dental professionals in dental office.METHODS: We conducted a search of published articles from PubMed, google scholar databases using key words such as COVID-19, healthcare worker, infection control, and dental practice. Relevant articles were identified and reviewed. Most published papers were clinical reports and case studies. We have selected some of the current published papers written in English in 2020.RESULTS: Infection control procedures to protect health workers at hospitals, and dental professionals at dental office were summurised and presented. Infection control procedures for healthcare workers at hospitals include Personal protective equipment, Korea filter (KF)94 respirator, goggles, face protector,disposable waterproof long-arm gown, and gloves, and others. Extra-protection procedures should be taken with old and vulnerable healthcare workers. Dental professionals should evaluate patients in advance before starting dental treatment. Aerosols generating procedures should be avoided and personal protective equipment should be used. Dental treatment should be restricted to emergency cases only.CONCLUSION: Old medical staff should be in safer distance to avoid infection, but young physicians and nurses should work at frontline as their immunity is better than their colleagues at old age. Screening patients and measurement of the body temperature are essential measures before dental treatment

Efficacy of photodynamic therapy on candida colonization and clinical symptoms in denture stomatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been recently proposed as a promising alternative therapy for Denture Stomatitis (DS). The present systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the current available evidence regarding the efficacy of PDT in the management of DS. Materials and methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ProQuest were searched up to June 7, 2023. All relevant clinical trials were included. RevMan software was used for the statistical analyses. Results: Elven randomized clinical trials (460 DS patients) were included. Eight studies assessed the efficacy of PDT vs. topical antifungal therapy, while three studies assessed the adjunctive use of PDT (PDT + antifungal therapy) vs. topical antifungal therapy alone. The results revealed comparable efficacy of PDT and conventional antifungal therapy on candida colonization at 15 days (MD: 0.95, 95% CI: -0.28, 2.19, p = 0.13) and at the end of follow-up (MD: -0.17, 95% CI: -1.33, 0.98, p = 0.77). The pooled two studies revealed relatively better efficacy of adjunctive use of PDT with antifungal therapy on candida colonization compared to antifungal therapy alone at 15 days (MD: -6.67, 95% CI: -15.15, 1.82, p = 0.12), and at the end of follow-up (MD: -7.14, 95% CI: -19.78, 5.50, p = 0.27). Additionally, the results revealed comparable efficacy of PDT and topical antifungal therapy on the clinical outcomes. Conclusions: PDT might be considered a viable option for DS either as an adjunct or as an alternative to the topical antifungal medications. Further studies with adequate sample sizes and standardized PDT parameters are warranted

The effect of flexible acrylic resin on masticatory muscle activity in implant-supported mandibular overdentures: a controlled clinical trial

Background: It is not yet clear from the current literature to what extent masticatory muscle activity is affected by the use of flexible acrylic resin in the construction of implant-supported mandibular overdentures. Objective: To compare masticatory muscle activity between patients who were provided with implant-supported mandibular overdentures constructed from flexible acrylic resin and those who were provided with implant- supported mandibular overdentures constructed from heat-cured conventional acrylic resin. Methods: In this clinical trial, 12 completely edentulous patients were selected and randomly allocated into two equal treatment groups. Each patient in Group 1 received two implants to support a mandibular overdenture made of conventional acrylic resin. In Group 2, the patients received two implants to support mandibular overdentures constructed from “Versacryl” flexible acrylic resin. The maxillary edentulous arch for patients in both groups was restored by conventional complete dentures. For all patients, masseter and temporalis muscle activity was evaluated using surface electromyography (sEMG). Results: The results showed a significant decrease in masticatory muscle activity among patients with implant- supported mandibular overdentures constructed from flexible acrylic resin. Conclusion: The use of “Versacryl” flexible acrylic resin in the construction of implant-supported mandibular overdentures resulted in decreased masticatory muscle activit

A Modified Design for Posterior Inlay-Retained Fixed Dental Prosthesis

The aim of this paper is to report a clinical case with bilateral missing mandibular second premolars that were restored by metal-ceramic inlay-retained fixed dental prostheses. The first prosthesis was of a traditional design and the second was of a modified design. The suggested design is created by modifying the retainer wings of the traditional resin-bonded inlay-retained fixed dental prosthesis and covering the wings with composite resin. The modified design is relatively conservative, esthetic and provides an extra element for the retention of posterior metal-ceramic inlay-retained fixed dental prostheses

A Survey of Dentists’ Perception of Chair-Side CAD/CAM Technology

The application of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology in dentistry has rapidly expanded. This survey aimed to investigate attitudes and current practice of dentists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia regarding chair-side CAD/CAM technology. An online questionnaire was prepared and sent to a convenience sample of dentists in Riyadh. Questions related to practice aspects of chair-side CAD/CAM system, attitudes and training were presented. A total of 114 questionnaires were completed (77.6% response rate). Study population comprised dentists of a wide range of clinical experience who are working in the various regions of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Of the participants, 27.2% indicated the presence of a chair-side CAD/CAM system at their current workplace and 57% used the chair-side CAD/CAM in the fabrication of dental crowns. The vast majority of participants (81%) believe that the overall quality of chair-side CAD/CAM restorations is at least as good as those fabricated by a lab technician or much better. Most responding dentists considered the chair-side CAD/CAM system as important in terms of time saving, boosting the number of visiting patients and income improvement. The willingness to dedicate the time and effort to learn the chair-side CAD/CAM technology was apparent amid a high proportion of dentists (75.4%). The findings of this pilot survey reflect broad satisfaction and positive attitude among the surveyed dentists towards use and outcome of chair-side CAD/CAM technology in the dental clinical practice. It seems that the CAD/CAM technology has infiltrated into the workflow of Saudi dental practices with speculations of growing implementation among the wider sector of dental practitioners in the future