The prevalence of positive patients to COVID-19 rapid nasopharyngeal antigen testing in private dental practices.

BACKGROUND: A quick diagnosis is crucial in effectively limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The study aims to assess the prevalence of positive rapid tests in private dental practices. METHODS: This is an observational study. 532 COVID-19 rapid nasopharyngeal antigen tests were carried out in the Veneto region of Italy. Patients of 4 dental practices in different cities (Caorle, Montebelluna, Treviso and Vicenza) were screened with a rapid test (Rapid Test COVID-19 Ag immunochromatographic assay, Techno Genetics) throughout November and December 2020. All the positive results from rapid tests were further investigated with a molecular test (PCR). All the patients tested showed no symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and had already undergone triage and temperature measurement. In total 532 tests were taken: 202 in Caorle (Venice), 130 in Montebelluna (Treviso), 100 in Treviso, and 100 in Vicenza. Statistical analysis was carried with the computing environment R version 3.2.1 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). In particular, R was used for estimating the P value of the χ2 test. The test was considered significant if the P value was lower or equal to 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of the rapid tests that resulted positive was 7.14% (38 out of 532 in total, 22 out of 202 in Caorle, 6 out of 130 in Montebelluna, 4 out of 100 in Treviso and 6 out of 100 in Vicenza). Among these patients, 36 tested positive also with a molecular test (94.74%), in particular, 21 in Caorle, 5 in Montebelluna, 4 in Treviso, and 6 in Vicenza. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of positive patients screened with a rapid test in private dental practices stands at 7.14% and it was confirmed in most of the patients with molecular tests. Therefore, in high-risk environments like dental practices, it is imperative to follow all the precautionary measures, and having every patient tested with a rapid test could be taken into consideration to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection.

Oral Manifestations and Maxillo-Facial Features in the Acromegalic Patient: A Literature Review.

Background: Acromegaly is a chronic disease caused by an abnormal secretion of growth hormone (GH) by a pituitary adenoma, resulting in an increased circulating concentration of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The main characteristics are a slow progression of signs and symptoms, with multisystemic involvement, leading to acral overgrowth, progressive somatic changes, and a complex range of comorbidities. Most of these comorbidities can be controlled with treatment. The literature reveals that the most evident and early signs are those related to soft tissue thickening and skeletal growth, especially in the head and neck region. Methods: The authors reviewed the available literature on the clinical oro-dental features of acromegaly, selecting articles from PubMed and Google Scholar. The aim of this review was to summarize all the reported clinical oro-dental features of acromegalic patients. Results: The most common facial dimorphisms involved the maxillo-facial district, with hypertrophy of the paranasal sinuses, thickening of the frontal bones, and protruding glabella, which may be associated with joint pain and clicks. Regarding the oro-dental signs, the most frequent are dental diastema (40-43%), mandibular overgrowth (22-24%), mandibular prognathism (20-22%), and macroglossia (54-58%). These signs of acromegaly can be significantly reduced with adequate treatment, which is more effective when initiated early. Conclusions: Increased awareness of acromegaly among dentists and maxillo-facial surgeons, along with the early identification of oro-facial changes, could lead to an earlier diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving patients' quality of life and prognosis.