RESUMO
Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated teledentistry research with great interest reflected in the increasing number of publications. In many countries, teledentistry programs were established although not much is known about the extent of incorporating teledentistry into practice and healthcare systems. This study aimed to report on policies and strategies related to teledentistry practice as well as barriers and facilitators for this implementation in 19 countries. Methods: Data were presented per country about information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, income level, policies for health information system (HIS), eHealth and telemedicine. Researchers were selected based on their previous publications in teledentistry and were invited to report on the situation in their respective countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Hong Kong SAR, Iran, Italy, Libya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe. Results: Ten (52.6%) countries were high income, 11 (57.9%) had eHealth policies, 7 (36.8%) had HIS policies and 5 (26.3%) had telehealth policies. Six (31.6%) countries had policies or strategies for teledentistry and no teledentistry programs were reported in two countries. Teledentistry programs were incorporated into the healthcare systems at national (n = 5), intermediate (provincial) (n = 4) and local (n = 8) levels. These programs were established in three countries, piloted in 5 countries and informal in 9 countries. Conclusion: Despite the growth in teledentistry research during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of teledentistry in daily clinical practice is still limited in most countries. Few countries have instituted teledentistry programs at national level. Laws, funding schemes and training are needed to support the incorporation of teledentistry into healthcare systems to institutionalize the practice of teledentistry. Mapping teledentistry practices in other countries and extending services to under-covered populations increases the benefit of teledentistry.
RESUMO
Objectives: Assessment of patients' knowledge regarding infection control in dentistry can help professionals in the development of protocol planning to minimize the risk of disease transmission through dental procedures. The aim of this paper is to assess the knowledge level about infection control of patients presenting to the dental clinic of the School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020. Materials and Methods: The draft of the questionnaire was designed with eight domains regarding infection control in dentistry including the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by six experts and 10 laypersons. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by the test-retest method. Two-hundred and forty-four patients (over 20 years of age) were selected based on non-random convenience sampling method, and participated in this study in July 2020. According to the difficulty coefficient, differential coefficient, and the opinion of the experts about the questionnaire filled out by the participants, 24 questions were selected out of 43 for the final version. Results: The intra-rater reliability indices were ≥75% and the scale-content validity indices for relevance, simplicity, and clarity were 87.80%, 93.75% % and 93.33%, respectively. The knowledge score of patients was 76.83%±11.58% which was not correlated with the level of education, age or gender (P>0.05). Conclusion: The knowledge level of patients presenting to the dental clinic of Tehran University of Medical Scineces measured by a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was acceptable about infection control.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: To determine the impact of removable partial dental prostheses on satisfying the daily functioning and quality of life (QoL) of adult patients with different distributions of missing posterior teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional interventional study was carried out on 80 patients having variously distributed posteriorly shortened and interrupted arches. Treatment comprised provision of partial dentures by senior dental students, supervised by senior clinical teachers who had knowledge of the potential benefits of the shortened dental arch (SDA) concept. The Oral Impacts on Daily Performance Index was completed before and 6 months after prosthetic treatment across groups comprising Kennedy Classes I, II, and III arches. Analysis included descriptive statistics and associations and comparisons between variables. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 57.4 years (SD = 13.1), many were retired (72.2%), and a majority were females (60%). Most patients lived in urban areas (95%), and were largely unemployed (63.3%). At pretreatment, only 31.3% of patients reported having good dental health and satisfaction with their current oral state, while 82.5% said they had a great need for treatment. The negative oral impacts that were most frequently experienced were those of eating (67.5%), smiling (50%), and being emotionally disturbed (63.8%). Post-treatment, 76.3% indicated good oral health and satisfaction with no significant differences between the 3 Kennedy groups. Any further negative impacts were reported mostly for Kennedy Classes I and II. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, significant reductions of negative impacts were observed following treatment with dentures, across the 3 Kennedy groups, with respect to improved function, satisfaction, and oral health-related QoL. The findings confirm the reliance by partially dentate patients in all 3 Kennedy groups on dentures for improved oral health, although the possible benefits of the SDA concept as an alternative treatment option was not specifically explored.
