Pan-dent-emic: a dentist's dilemma in the COVID-19 era.

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has been unfathomable. It has affected every sector within health care industry with dentistry being one of the worst hits. Not only has it impacted the dental practice, the field of dental education has been affected as well. There has been loss in terms of delayed to no treatments, finances, psychology and most importantly breaks in ongoing education and research practices. The present article attempts to explain the dilemma of the current situation from a dentist's perspective. Since, the effects of the contagion are seen across each level of dentistry, the current situation can truly be termed as a "Pan-dent-emic".

Endoscopic retrieval of an accidentally ingested bur during a dental procedure: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Accidental ingestion of a dental bur during the dental procedure is a rare, but a potentially serious complication. Early recognition and foreign body retrieval is essential to prevent adverse patient outcomes. CASE PRESENTATION: A 76-year old male patient, presented to the department with a chief complaint of sensitivity in his upper right back tooth due to attrition. After assessing the pulp status, root canal therapy was planned for the tooth. During the procedure, it was noticed that the dental bur slipped out of the hand piece and the patient had accidentally ingested it. The patient was conscious and had no trouble while breathing at the time of ingestion of the bur although he had mild cough which lasted for a short duration. The dental procedure was aborted immediately and the patient was taken to the hospital for emergency care. The presence and location of the dental bur was confirmed using chest and abdominal x-rays and it was subsequently retrieved by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) procedure under general anaesthesia on the same day as a part of the emergency procedure. The analysis of this case reaffirms the importance of the use of physical barriers such as rubber dams and gauze screens as precautionary measures to prevent such incidents from occurring. CONCLUSION: Ingestion of instruments are uncertain and hazardous complications to encounter during a dental procedure. The need for physical barrier like rubber dam is mandatory for all dental procedures. However, the dentist should be well trained to handle such medical emergencies and reassure the patient by taking them into confidence. Each incident encountered should be thoroughly documented to supply adequate guidance for treatment aspects. This would fulfil the professional responsibilities of the dentist/ clinician and may help avoid possible legal and ethical issues. This case report emphasizes on the need for the usage of physical barriers during dental procedures in order to avoid medical emergencies.

Critical Assessment on Unmet Oral Health Needs and Oral Health-related Quality of Life Among Old Age Home Inhabitants in Karnataka, India.

PURPOSE: To critically assess the unmet oral health needs and oral health-related quality of life among old age home inhabitants in Karnataka, India. METHODS: A total of 96 older adults (males=32, 33.33%, females=64, 66.67%) aged 60 years and above, residing in old age homes were included in this cross-sectional study. The mean age of the participants included in the study was 69.25±7.99 years. Oral health status and dental needs were assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHIS) and the WHO Oral Health Assessment forms. Oral health-related quality of life was evaluated by administrating the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire through an interview format. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 was used. Descriptive statistics was tabulated for oral health status and GOHAI scores. Student's t-test and ANOVA were applied to check the association of the GOHAI responses with the number of years of residence in old age homes, age groups, gender, and dentition status. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants included in the study was 69.25±7.99 years. Twenty-six (27.1%) participants reported diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Most of the participants 89 (91.7%) visited the dentist when they had dental complaints. Among the dentulous study population, the majority of the participants had untreated dental caries indicated for dental extraction and needed periodontal therapy. Amongst the participants, 68 (70.82%) required prosthetic rehabilitation. More than 10 years of residence in old aged homes, over 80 years of age, being female, and completely edentulous groups showed lower total GOHAI scores compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSION: The majority of the participants showed unmet oral health needs and lower GOHAI scores indicating poor oral health-related quality of life.

Prioridades axiológicas e orientaçäo política / Value priorities and political orientation

Foi objetivo desta pesquisa estudar a relaçäo entre as prioridades axiológicas e a orientaçäo política definida em termos de esquerda, centro e direita. As prioridades axiológicas de 347 estudantes universitários, homens e mulheres, foram analisadas com o Inventário de Valores de Schwartz. Foi calculada a análise de variância, one-way; ao nível de cada um dos dez tipos motivacionais de valores, bem como ao nível de cada um dos quatro fatores de segunda ordem. Os resultados mostraram que o escore dos sujeitos de direita foi superior ao dos outros dois grupos no tipo motivacional segurança, enquanto que os escores dos de esquerda e direita foram superiores em universalismo e autodeterminaçäo. Ao nível dos fatores de segunda ordem foi observado que os sujeitos de esquerda e centro enfatizam mais os valores de autotranscendência e de abertura à mudança do que os de direita