Efficacy of antiseptic mouthrinses against SARS-CoV-2: A prospective randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus-disease-19 (COVID-19) continues to affect millions of individuals worldwide. Antiviral activity of mouthrinses remains an important research area as the oral cavity is a site of SARS-CoV-2 initial replication. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of three different mouthrinses in reducing the oral/oropharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load. METHODS: Adult patients, hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 were recruited for the study. Oral/oropharyngeal baseline SARS-CoV-2 samples were collected and analyzed by Real-Time-PCR. Subsequently, patients were instructed to rinse with 1 % hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), 0.12 % chlorhexidine (CHX), 1 % povidone­iodine (PVP-I) or Sodium Chloride 0.9 % (placebo). Viral loads were measured right after (T1), and at 45 min (T2) from the rinse. RESULTS: In the PVP-I 1 % group, 5/8 (62.5 %) patients at T1, and 3/8 (37.5 %) patients at T2, SARS-CoV-2 was not detectable in the swab specimens. In the H2O2 1 % group, 2/11 (18.2 %) patients at T1, and 2/11 (18.2 %) other patients at T2 showed no SARS-CoV-2 loads. One (12.5 %) patient in the CHX 0.12 % group showed SARS-CoV-2 negativity at T2. One (9.1 %) patient at T1, and another (9.1 %) patient at T2 showed no SARS-CoV-2 loads in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Oral SARS-CoV-2 loads were reduced at T1 in the PVP-I 1 % and H2O2 1 % groups. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: PVP-I 1 % was the most effective rinse especially in patients with low viral copy numbers at baseline.

Xerostomia, gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The novel Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) continues to have profound effect on global health. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence and characterize specific symptoms associated with COVID-19. METHODS: This retrospective study included 326 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection evaluated at the Emergency Department of the Umberto I Polyclinic Hospital, Rome, Italy between March 6th and April 30th, 2020. In order to assess xerostomia, olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions secondary to COVID-19, a telephone-based a modified survey obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 for taste and smell disorders and the Fox Questionnaire for dry mouth were administered to 111 patients (34%) after discharge between June 4th and June 12th. RESULTS: Taste dysfunction was the most common reported symptom (59.5%; n = 66), followed by xerostomia (45.9%; n = 51) and olfactory dysfunctions (41.4%; n = 46). The most severe symptom was olfactory dysfunction with a median severity score of 8.5 (range: 5-10). Overall 74.5% (n = 38) of patients with xerostomia, 78.8% (n = 52) of patients with gustatory dysfunctions and 71.1% (n = 33) of patients with olfactory dysfunctions reported that all symptoms appeared before COVID-19 diagnosis. Overall, the majority of patients reported one symptom only (45.9%, n = 51), 37 (33.3%) reported the association of two symptoms, and 23 (20.7%) patients reported the association of three symptoms at the same time. CONCLUSION: Xerostomia, gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions may present as a prodromal or as the sole manifestation of COVID-19. Awareness is fundamental to identify COVID-19 patients at an early stage of the disease and limit the spread of the virus.

Educational Interventions on Human Papillomavirus for Oral Health Providers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on HPV infection, HPV-related cancers and prevention modalities to improve Oral Health Care Providers (OHPs) knowledge and awareness about these topics, considering the rise of HPV-related malignancies in the USA. Educational sessions on HPV were offered to OHPs between 2016 and 2018 in the New England area. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire both before and after each session. Responses from the pre-questionnaire were compared to those from the post-questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of the lectures in increasing HPV-related knowledge of the OHPs. Among 277 participants, 263 completed both the pre- and post-questionnaire. A significant improvement was observed for the following categories: epidemiology of HPV infections, HPV-related diseases, and HPV vaccination and prevention. After the educational intervention, OHPs also indicated an increased comfort level in regard to educating their patients about the importance of HPV vaccination. Educational lectures can be effective in increasing OHPs knowledge and awareness about HPV, HPV-related cancers, and vaccination. More educational sessions on HPV are needed to reach a larger number of OHPs. OHPs may be the first to identify signs and symptoms of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers. In addition, they may encourage their patients to take advantage of the HPV vaccine.