Demographics, comorbidities, and outcomes among young and middle-aged COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia.

The impact of different sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on the COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality rates have been studied extensively around the world; however, there is a dearth of data on the impact of different clinical and sociodemographic variables on the COVID-19-related outcomes in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to identify those at high risk of worse clinical outcomes, such as hospitalization and longer length of stay (LOS) among young and middle-aged adults (18 to 55 years). In this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study, 706 patients with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 infection were interviewed. Patients' demographic characteristics, dietary habits, medical history, and lifestyle choices were collected through phone interviews. Patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, reported a higher rate of hospitalization, ICU admission, oxygen-support needs, and a longer period of recovery and LOS. Multiple logistic regression showed that diabetes, hypertension, and pulmonary disease (e.g., asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)) were associated with a higher risk of hospitalization and longer LOS. Multiple logistic regression showed that symptoms of breathlessness, loss of smell and/or taste, diarrhea, and cough were associated with a longer recovery period. Similarly, breathlessness, vomiting, and diarrhea were associated with higher rates of hospitalization. The findings of this study confirm the similarity of the factors associated with worse clinical outcomes across the world. Future studies should use more robust designs to investigate the impact of different therapies on the COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality in Saudi Arabia.

Dental Anxiety Amongst Pregnant Women: Relationship With Dental Attendance and Sociodemographic Factors.

INTRODUCTION: Access to oral care during pregnancy is important for the maintenance of optimal oral health. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate dental anxiety (DA) and its association with previous dental visits and sociodemographic factors amongst pregnant women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted (June through August 2019) amongst pregnant women (N = 825) attending hospitals and health centres in Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam cities in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used to assess DA and the World Health Organization Oral Health Survey for Adults was administered to evaluate patterns of dental attendance. RESULTS: DA was found in 90.9% of the pregnant women. The mean DA score of the sample was 12.53 ± 5.33 (range, 5 to 25) and it was significantly higher amongst non-Saudi (13.21 ± 5.24) vs Saudi women (12.15 ± 5.34) (P = .006), those who had negative dental experience (13.99 ± 5.62) vs those without such experience (12.2 ± 5.21) (P < .001), and those with dental pain or discomfort (13.18 ± 5.46) vs without pain or discomfort (11.94 ± 5.14) (P = .001). The study found a significant relationship between DA and reasons for dental attendance before pregnancy (P = .002) and time since the last dental visit (P = .009). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed significantly increased odds (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.27) of experiencing moderate to extreme DA amongst pregnant women who visited the dentist after a year/never visited compared to those who visited in less than a year. Similarly, participants with negative dental experience were significantly more likely to have moderate to extreme DA (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.20) than those without negative experience after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. CONCLUSIONS: DA was highly prevalent amongst pregnant women, which was significantly associated with negative dental experience, dental pain or discomfort, and reasons for and time since the last dental visit.

Influence of demographic characteristics, tooth loss, and tooth wear on condylar movements: Cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The study's aim was to assess and compare the values of the sagittal condylar angle (SCA), the Bennett angle (BA), and the immediate side shift (ISS) between fully dentate and partially dentate patients, male and female patients, and Saudi and non-Saudi patients. The study also aimed to statistically analyze the correlation of the different condylar movements with tooth loss and tooth wear. Materials and Methods: Using the electronic pantograph (Cadiax Compact II), the SCA, BA, and ISS were recorded at a 10-mm condylotrack distance in dentate and partially dentate patients, from both genders, older than 20 years, medically stable, and with normal temporomandibular joint movements and normal activity of masticatory muscles. The recorded average values were compared between the groups using an unpaired t-test. Results: The average condylar movements between dentate (n = 57) and partially dentate (n = 39) groups revealed no significant differences concerning right SCA, left SCA, right BA, right ISS, and left ISS. However, the left BA showed significant differences (P = 0.011) in the dentate compared with the partially dentate group. Gender (male: n = 24, female: n = 72) showed no statistical significance between groups when measuring SCA, BA, or ISS. When comparing Saudi (n = 78) with non-Saudi patients (n = 18), it was found that the mean right SCA was significantly higher in Saudi than in non-Saudi patients (P = 0.024). Condylar inclination values in relation to tooth wear showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05), except left ISS, which was significantly higher among those who had tooth wear (P = 0.040). Conclusion: Tooth loss had a major impact on the left BA, while patients with tooth wear had a significantly increased ISS on the left side.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Its Relationship with Dental Anxiety among Pregnant Women in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), dental anxiety (DA), and other factors among pregnant women. METHODS: The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) were used to evaluate GAD and DA, respectively. Hard copies of self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 780 pregnant women attending hospitals/health centers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: About 31.7% of the participants demonstrated minimal anxiety, 37.9% mild anxiety, 19.7% moderate anxiety, and 10.6% severe anxiety. The mean GAD score of the sample was 7.53 ± 5.16 which differed significantly among women in the first (7.74 ± 5.47), second (6.82 ± 4.64), and third trimesters (8.13 ± 5.37) (P=0.029). Pregnant women who performed routine dental visits demonstrated lower GAD (6.98 ± 5.23) than those who visited dentists for consultation, pain, or treatment (7.58 ± 5.07). The mean GAD score was significantly higher among participants with dental pain or discomfort during the last 12 months (8.12 ± 5.05) than among those without pain or discomfort (7.02 ± 5.2) (P 0.003). Similarly, the participants with DA showed a significantly higher mean GAD score (7.69 ± 5.17) than those without DA (5.93 ± 4.71) (P 0.006). Multivariate linear regression showed that GAD significantly correlated with DA (B = 0.225, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present study, GAD was common among pregnant women which significantly correlated with DA. Pregnant women with DA and dental pain demonstrated high GAD. Preventive and therapeutic measures should be taken to reduce GAD and DA during pregnancy.

Patients' Behavior Regarding Dietary or Herbal Supplements before and during COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

The use of traditional medicinal plants in Saudi Arabia stems mainly from consumers' belief in prophetic medicine. This study was conducted to explore changes in patients' use of dietary or herbal supplements among individuals infected with COVID-19 before and during infection and the association between herbal or dietary supplements and hospitalization. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted enrolling symptomatic patients who had recently recovered from COVID-19. Data were collected through phone interviews, and McNemar's test was used to investigate changes to consumption of dietary or herbal supplements before and during infection. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the association between supplements use during patients' infection and hospitalization. A total of 738 patients were included in this study, of whom 32.1% required hospitalization. About 57% of participants were male with a mean age of 36.5 (±11.9) years. The use of lemon/orange, honey, ginger, vitamin C, and black seed among participants significantly increased during their infection. In contrast, patients using anise, peppermint, and coffee peel before their infection were more likely to stop using them during their infection. In addition, using lemon/orange (p < 0.0001), honey (p = 0.0002), ginger (p = 0.0053), vitamin C (p = 0.0006), black seed (p < 0.0001), peppermint (p = 0.0027), costus (p = 0.0095), and turmeric (p = 0.0012) was significantly higher among nonhospitalized patients than hospitalized ones. However, in the multivariable logistic regression, only use of vitamin C (OR = 0.51; 95% CI 0.33-0.79), peppermint (OR = 0.53; 95% CI 0.31-0.90), and lemon/orange (OR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.33-0.88) was associated with significantly lower odds of hospitalization. The study reveals that patients' consumption of dietary or herbal supplements changed in response to their COVID-19 infection, with hospitalized patients having a lower likelihood of using these supplements. Because some supplements were associated with lower odds of hospitalization, these supplements or their bioactive components should be further investigated as feasible options for COVID-19 treatment.

Association of Healthy Diet with Recovery Time from COVID-19: Results from a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.

The world is still in need of an effective therapy to treat coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). This cross-sectional study was conducted on COVID-19 survivors in Saudi Arabia to investigate the influence of a healthy diet on the recovery time from COVID-19. A questionnaire was developed to assess participants' dietary habits, based on the 2015 Dutch food-based dietary guidelines. A total of 738 COVID-19 survivors participated in the study, of whom 237 (32.1%) were hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment while 501 (76.9%) were not hospitalized, and 320 (43.4%) were females and 418 (56.6%) were males. Overall, no significant difference was noted in healthy diet score between males and females; however, this score was significantly lower for Saudis compared to non-Saudis. Among the non-hospitalized patients, eating a more healthy diet was associated with a shorter duration of recovery (p < 0.05) and was significantly affected by gender (15.8 ± 9.3 male vs. 12.1 ± 8.9 female; p < 0.001) and marital status (12.1 ± 8.4 singles vs. 13.7 ± 9.3 married vs. 16.1 ± 11.8 divorced; p < 0.05). In contrast, no significant correlation was found with age or BMI. In this study, a more healthy diet was associated with a shorter duration of recovery from COVID-19. However, further studies are needed to thoroughly investigate the relationship between diet and recovery time from COVID-19.