Paediatric dental pain and infection during the COVID period.

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus pandemic, paediatric patients will still likely present with dental pain and infection. In order to streamline care at King's College Hospital (KCH), Paediatric Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) have developed a collaborative working approach allowing patients to be treated effectively and to streamline patient care in the absence of easy access to general anaesthetic facilities. METHOD: Presenting complaints, treatment need and the treatment received were recorded for all paediatric patients presenting with dental pain and infection in the "lockdown" period (23rd March- 14th June) during "normal" working hours and "out of hours" to either paediatric dentistry or OMFS. RESULTS: 420 calls were triaged which converted to 67 patients seen face-to-face for oro-facial pain and infection. 41% of children were treated successfully under Local anaesthetic alone, only 13% required a general anaesthetic (GA) in the "lockdown" period. The vast majority of patients had antibiotics prescribed prior to attendance (80%). CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated the demographic, presenting complaints and treatment need of patients who presented to KCH during the lockdown period with dental pain and infection. The majority were able to be treated without needing for GA facilities. This paper highlights how a collaborative approach between paediatric dentistry and OMFS can help streamline patient care and is a model which can be adopted by other units in the event of further "lockdowns".

Screening of dental and sinus infections in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased risk of infections. Screening for oral (dental and/or sinus) infection could be proposed before biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) initiation but is not systematically recommended. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of oral infection in RA patients requiring bDMARDs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a monocentric retrospective study. We included patients with RA and active disease requiring bDMARDs. Dental infection and sinusitis were assessed by a stomatologist and otorhinolaryngologist after clinical, panoramic dental X-ray and sinus CT evaluation. Factors associated with oral infections were analysed in uni- and multivariate models, estimating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We included 223 RA patients (79.4% women, mean disease duration 8.9 ± 8.6 years). The mean age was 54.4 ± 10.9 years and mean Disease Activity Score in 28 joints 5.5 ± 2.6. Systematic dental screening revealed infection requiring treatment before bDMARDs initiation in 46 (20.9%) patients. Sinusitis was diagnosed by the otorhinolaryngologist in 33 (14.8%) patients. Among the 223 patients, 69 (30.9%) had dental and/or sinus infection. On univariate analysis, active smoking was associated with increased probability of oral infection (OR = 2.16 [95% CI 1.02-4.57], P = .038) and methotrexate with reduced probability (OR = 0.43 [95% CI 0.23-0.81], P = .006). On multivariate analysis, no RA variables were associated with oral infection. CONCLUSION: In our study, asymptomatic oral infection was confirmed in one third of RA patients.

Prevalence of endodontic diseases: an epidemiological evaluation in a Brazilian subpopulation

Aim: To determine the prevalence of pulp and periradicular diseases in a Brazilian subpopulation, correlating the prevalence with sex, age and most affected teeth. Methods: Data collected from medical records of patients treated at the Clinic of Specialization in Endodontics of the Federal University of Pernambuco between 2003 and 2010. The following variables were recorded for each patient: sex, age, affected teeth and diagnosed endodontic disease. Using Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, the collected data analysis was set at a 5% significance level. Results: From all the treated teeth, 57% were diagnosed with pulp diseases, with the symptomatic irreversible pulpitis being the most prevalent (46.3%), while among the diagnosed periradicular diseases (43%), chronic apical periodontitis was the most prevalent (81%). Pulp diseases were detected in men and women in an unequal mode (p=0.008). Subjects under 40 years old had higher prevalence of pulp disease (p=0.286), and patients over 50 years were most affected by periradicular diseases (p=0.439). Maxillary incisors and mandibular first molars were the most affected teeth by endodontic diseases. Conclusions: In the evaluated subpopulation, the endodontic diseases were more prevalente in the maxillary incisive, affected indiscriminately individuals of different age groups and chronic apical periodontitis was the most prevalent diagnosed disease (Au)

Dental and Oral Lesions in HIV-Positive Individuals in East Bohemia--Czech Republic, Single Centre Experience.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to be a serious health issue and one of the world most devastating epidemics. An estimated 1.5 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2013, and an estimated 37 million people with AIDS have died worldwide since the epidemic has begun. HIV infection is known for its oral manifestations which causes discomfort and pain for infected individuals. The objective of this study was to document oral conditions of HIV positive patients and the pattern and frequency of oral and dental lesions. METHODS: All patients with confirmed HIV infection who were treated at the Department of Dentistry, University Hospital in Hradec Králové, were examined. RESULTS: During the study period, 29 HIV positive patients were examined and treated--19 men, 10 women, with mean age of 32.9 years (range 22-58 years). 72.41% patients received ART. In total, all patients underwent 186 visits. The most frequent treatments were associated with teeth and periodontal lesions (71.80%), oral mucosal lesions were diagnosed and treated only in 3.96% cases. CONCLUSION: Since the introduction of ART, the frequency of oral mucosal lesions is minimal in patients with HIV infection.

Prevalencia del surco de desarrollo en incisivos superiores permanentes y su vinculación con problemas pulpares y periodontales / Prevalence of developmental groove in permanent upper incisors and its-

Objetivo: Establecer la prevalencia del surco de desarrollo en incisivos superiores permanentes de la población que acudió por primera vez a consulta a la Clínica Odontológica Iztacala y la Clínica de Especialización de Endoperiodontología, en un periodo de seis meses, estableciendo la dirección, profundidad y conformación de los surcos de desarrollo encontrados en dicha población, se determinó la frecuencia de problemas pulpares y periodontales relacionados con los surcos de desarrollo encontrados. Hipótesis: Si el surco de desarrollo es un factor que predispone al acúmulo de placa dentobacteriana entonces aquellos pacientes que lo presenten tendrán enfermedad periodontal, caries y/o alteración pulpar. Material y método: El diseño de la investigación fue de tipo descriptivo, prospectivo, observacional y no experimental, en relación con la evolución del fenómeno se planteó un diseño transversal y correlacional. Resultados: El promedio de las bolsas periodontales fue de 3.5 mm, lo que ayudó a establecer que la mayoría de los pacientes con esta anomalía padecen enfermedad periodontal. En cuanto a caries se observó que el 64 por ciento de los surcos la presentaban. El 51 por ciento de los pacientes presentaron pulpa sana y sólo 49 por ciento presentó una alteración pulpar, de las cuales el 36 por ciento fue pulpitis reversible, 9 por ciento pulpitis irreversible y 4 por ciento necrosis pulpar, con ello se estableció que sí existe una relación entre el surco de desarrollo y la alteración pulpar aun cuando no se tenga el mayor porcentaje, sin embargo éste es considerable. El surco de desarrollo fue más frecuente en el sexo femenino, se presenta en un porcentaje bajo del total de la población estudiada. La mayor prevalencia fue en los laterales, en su porción media. Conclusión: Esta anomalía es un factor predisponente de la caries , enfermedad periodontal y enfermedad pulpar, esta conclusión está basada en la positividad de las pruebas de correlación de Pearson...

Periapical status, quality of root canal fillings and estimated endodontic treatment needs in an urban German population.

The objective of this study was to determine the periapical status and the quality of root canal fillings and to estimate the endodontic treatment needs in a German population. Clinical and radiographic data and the operative procedures performed were evaluated on 323 patients coming to a dental surgery in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1993. In 182 individuals at least one tooth exhibited a root canal filling, a necrotic pulp or an irreversible pulpitis. Out of the 7897 teeth examined, 215 (2.7%) had a root canal treatment (category A), 122 being non-endodontically treated (1.5%) did not respond to the sensitivity test (category B) and 53 (0.7%) were diagnosed as having irreversible inflamed pulp tissue (category C). The prevalence of teeth associated with radiographic signs of periapical pathosis was 61% in the group of root canal filled teeth and 88% in the group of pulpless and non-endodontically treated teeth. Using the level and the density of the root canal filling as criteria for evaluating the technical standard, only 14% of the endodontic treatments of non-apicectomized teeth were qualified as adequate. The minimal endodontic treatment need is 2.3% related to all examined teeth when the root canal filled teeth with clinical symptoms of periapical periodontitis (category A) and those of categories B and C are included. The real endodontic treatment need is suggested to be larger when considering that the technical quality of the obturation is poor in most symptomless endodontically treated teeth associated with a periapical lesion. In the case of retreatment of these teeth, the endodontic treatment need would then be calculated at 3.7%.

Urgencias estomatológicas: estudio retrospectivo a tres años / Mouth cavity emergencies: a prospective three-year study

Se presenta un estudio retrospectivo de 911 urgencias estomatológicas atendidas en un lapso de tres años en el Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, las cuales se clasifican por su tipo en pulpares, traumáticas, hemorrágicas e infecciosas, analizándose: la edad, el sexo, horario, presentación por día de la semana, diagnóstico y tratamiento. Se observó que con mayor frecuencia se presentaron las urgencias de tipo pulpar (56 por ciento) siendo el sexo masculino el más afectado en una edad promedio de 8 años. Todas las urgencias fueron atendidas de manera rápida para favorecer el pronóstico de los tratamientos. Por otro lado cabe hacer mención que tomando en cuenta que el mayor número de urgencia se presenta los fines de semana y en el turno vespertino se hace necesaria la presencia de un residente de guardia para brindar atención adecuada y eficaz todos los días del año