The effects of the cognitive bias of unrealistic optimism in the adoption of preventive measures against COVID-19 in dentistry.

Introduction: The bias of unrealistic optimism is people's tendency to believe that they are less likely to experience negative events than others. Dental professionals are part of a high-risk group for COVID-19. Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate whether unrealistic optimism bias, concern, and regret can affect the adoption of preventive measures by these professionals. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of dentists recruited remotely by using an electronic form sent by email and social media. A five-point scale was used to identify whether unrealistic optimism, concern, and regret affected the adoption of preventive measures. The study included a total of 339 dentists. The group considered to be unrealistically optimistic accounted for 24.8% of the sample. Results: Unrealistic optimism negatively affected the use of protective equipment by dental professionals. Conversely, concern positively affected preventive measures. Conclusions: Although most dentists are realistic about the risk of infection compared with their peers, those with optimistic bias might be more susceptible to the disease, as they tend not to adopt recommended protective measures in the workplace. Future studies should also investigate ways of debiasing.

Telehealth in Oral Medicine: report of an experience from public health care in a southern Brazilian state.

This study aimed to describe the telediagnosis of oral lesions through a telehealth program offered in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil. This report included all oral medicine-related teleconsultations between January 2015 and December 2019. Primary care dentists from the public health services of the state were trained to use the Telessaúde Brasil Redes platform, a national telehealth program that provides telediagnostic support through teleconsultations with specialists. Clinical information and images of oral lesions were solicited to each teleconsultation request. An oral medicine specialist evaluated the cases and provided diagnostic hypotheses, management, and referral suggestions. Finally, dentists were invited to evaluate the services. A total of 162 cases were submitted by 44 dentists. The patient's main complaint was described in 98.8% of cases, while the duration/evolution and the type of lesions were 64.81% and 40.12%, respectively. No images were attached to 19 (11.70%) patients. The information sent was sufficient for diagnostic reasoning in 125 (77.16%) requests. The specialist considered 78 cases (48.1%) to be resolved in primary care. Among respondents (45.7%), dentists considered that the teleconsultation "totally attended" their needs in 92% of requests. The description of the telehealth platform usage in oral medicine in Paraná showed the need to improve the participation of primary care dentists and the quality of clinical information provided as barriers to be overcome, aiming for the best usage of the platform.

Telediagnosis of oral lesions using smartphone photography.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this observational study was to evaluate telediagnosis of oral lesions using smartphone photography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individuals with visible oral lesions composed a convenience sample. The lesions were photographed using a smartphone camera and emailed along with clinical information to three evaluators, who formulated up to two diagnostic hypotheses for each case. A total of 235 photographs from 113 clinical cases were obtained. The evaluators answered questions regarding referral decisions, requests for additional tests, diagnostic difficulties, and image quality. The diagnostic hypotheses were compared to the gold standard by means of percent agreement and kappa coefficient. Consensual face-to-face diagnoses of three specialists-when only a clinical diagnosis was necessary-or histopathological results-when a biopsy was necessary-were considered the gold standard. RESULTS: The telediagnosis was similar to the gold standard in 76% of the cases, and kappa coefficients showed almost perfect agreement (k = 0.817-0.903). The evaluators considered that referrals could have been avoided on an average of 35,4% of the cases. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of oral lesions using images taken with a smartphone showed almost perfect agreement and diagnostic accuracy comparable to face-to-face diagnosis.

Telehealth in Oral Medicine: report of an experience from public health care in a southern Brazilian state

Abstract: This study aimed to describe the telediagnosis of oral lesions through a telehealth program offered in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil. This report included all oral medicine-related teleconsultations between January 2015 and December 2019. Primary care dentists from the public health services of the state were trained to use the Telessaúde Brasil Redes platform, a national telehealth program that provides telediagnostic support through teleconsultations with specialists. Clinical information and images of oral lesions were solicited to each teleconsultation request. An oral medicine specialist evaluated the cases and provided diagnostic hypotheses, management, and referral suggestions. Finally, dentists were invited to evaluate the services. A total of 162 cases were submitted by 44 dentists. The patient's main complaint was described in 98.8% of cases, while the duration/evolution and the type of lesions were 64.81% and 40.12%, respectively. No images were attached to 19 (11.70%) patients. The information sent was sufficient for diagnostic reasoning in 125 (77.16%) requests. The specialist considered 78 cases (48.1%) to be resolved in primary care. Among respondents (45.7%), dentists considered that the teleconsultation "totally attended" their needs in 92% of requests. The description of the telehealth platform usage in oral medicine in Paraná showed the need to improve the participation of primary care dentists and the quality of clinical information provided as barriers to be overcome, aiming for the best usage of the platform.

Self-perception of periodontal health status among individuals with Fanconi anemia

ABSTRACT Introduction: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease characterized by congenital malformations and bone marrow failure. One of the most common oral diseases in individuals with FA is periodontitis and adequate self-perception of periodontal status could contribute to its prevention and early detection. Aim: To compare oral health self-perception, measured by a questionnaire, with the clinical oral condition of patients with FA. Methods and Results: Fifty-six patients with FA, over 11 years of age, answered a questionnaire about dental history and self-reported oral health. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), Visible Plaque Index (VPI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) were measured. The median age of participants was 21 years (min 11, max 44), 31 (55%) were females and 25 (45%) males. Thirty-five (62.5%) participants rated their oral condition as satisfactory and 7 (12.5%) participants reported tooth mobility, 10 (17.9%) exposed roots and 21 (37.5%) gingival bleeding. Clinical examination detected average DMFT = 5.23, VPI = 31.36% and GBI = 33.77%. The gingival bleeding report was more frequent among individuals with higher GBI (p = 0.014). The DMFT was higher in those who had already undergone dental treatments (p = 0.031). There was an association between participants who presented dental caries and who rated their oral health as poor (p = 0.03). The question "Do your gums bleed easily?" had good accuracy in the evaluation of periodontal disease (p = 0.68). Conclusion: Oral health self-perception of individuals with FA about gingival inflammation was associated with their gingival bleeding index.

Use of smartphone video calls in the diagnosis of oral lesions: Teleconsultations between a specialist and patients assisted by a general dentist.

BACKGROUND: Teleassistance in dentistry enables the support of dentists in areas without access to specialists. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and accuracy of synchronous teleconsultation in oral medicine. METHODS: Patients referred for specialized care owing to oral lesions were evaluated in person by a general dentist who obtained photographs of the lesions with a smartphone. The images were sent via a mobile application to an oral medicine specialist, with whom a video call was initiated on the same instant messaging application. After interviewing the patient, the specialist formulated a diagnostic hypothesis and suggestions for case management. Then a second specialist, blinded to the first evaluation, assessed the oral lesion in person and defined a diagnosis, which was considered as the reference standard. Diagnoses from the remote and the face-to-face consultations were compared in percentage levels of agreement and κ coefficient. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients, 25 through 83 years old, had 41 oral lesions. The average teleconsultation length was approximately 10 minutes. In 92.7% of the cases, there was concordance between the telediagnosis and the reference standard (κ = 0.922). CONCLUSIONS: Synchronous teleconsultation can provide reliable remote diagnosis through the support to primary care health care professionals in management of oral lesions. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Earlier diagnosis of malignancies, improvement of access for unassisted populations, and reduction of unnecessary referrals are possible practical implications of remote support of a specialist in the management and diagnosis of oral lesions.

Self-perception of periodontal health status among individuals with Fanconi anemia.

INTRODUCTION: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease characterized by congenital malformations and bone marrow failure. One of the most common oral diseases in individuals with FA is periodontitis and adequate self-perception of periodontal status could contribute to its prevention and early detection. AIM: To compare oral health self-perception, measured by a questionnaire, with the clinical oral condition of patients with FA. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-six patients with FA, over 11 years of age, answered a questionnaire about dental history and self-reported oral health. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), Visible Plaque Index (VPI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) were measured. The median age of participants was 21 years (min 11, max 44), 31 (55%) were females and 25 (45%) males. Thirty-five (62.5%) participants rated their oral condition as satisfactory and 7 (12.5%) participants reported tooth mobility, 10 (17.9%) exposed roots and 21 (37.5%) gingival bleeding. Clinical examination detected average DMFT = 5.23, VPI = 31.36% and GBI = 33.77%. The gingival bleeding report was more frequent among individuals with higher GBI (p =  0.014). The DMFT was higher in those who had already undergone dental treatments (p =  0.031). There was an association between participants who presented dental caries and who rated their oral health as poor (p =  0.03). The question "Do your gums bleed easily?" had good accuracy in the evaluation of periodontal disease (p =  0.68). CONCLUSION: Oral health self-perception of individuals with FA about gingival inflammation was associated with their gingival bleeding index.

Periodontal status of candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the periodontal profile of -candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: This cross-sectional prospective study was performed from March 2014 to March 2015. After an initial interview, eligible individuals were evaluated by the following clinical parameters: visible plaque, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and clinical attachment level at six sites per tooth, excluding third molars. RESULTS: Thirty-six candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were clinically assessed. Eight (22%) patients were diagnosed with gingivitis and 21 (58%) of them with periodontitis. The gingival bleeding was statistically correlated with the percentage of sites with visible plaque (p < 0.0001; r = 0.630) and did not correlate with the number of platelets (p = 0.643, r = -0.082). CONCLUSIONS: The candidates for allogeneic HSCT studied showed a high prevalence of periodontal diseases with unmonitored local infection before transplantation.