Impact of COVID-19 on maxillofacial surgery practice: a systematic review

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the possible impacts of COVID-19 on oral and maxillofacial surgery practice, as well as the protocols employed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons to minimize the risks of contamination. Methods Searches were performed in different databases up to 15 March 2021. Articles related to oral surgery dynamics within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic were included. The articles were considered eligible if they met the following inclusion criteria: observational studies that provided recommendations regarding maxillofacial surgery measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and that analyzed the risk of contamination of patients/professionals with SARS-CoV-2. Results Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected for the present systematic review. Demands for personal protective equipment increased significantly, with studies reporting the scarcity of fundamental equipment such as FFP2/N95 masks. Significant changes in the infrastructure of outpatient, surgical and inpatient units and in the care protocols themselves were observed. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic particularly affected the routine of oral and maxillofacial surgery residents. Several additional recommendations for surgical practice or for the surgical team were evaluated and discussed, such as performing primarily urgent and emergency surgeries, remote patient care and screening, postponing elective surgeries, and new teaching methods in oral and maxillofacial surgery residency programs. In addition, screening of patients and of the surgery team for COVID-19 is strongly recommended.

Serviços odontológicos na pandemia da COVID-19: Uma revisão de síntese da produção científica

“…E, a pandemia da COVID-19, pelas suas peculiaridades, elevou o nível de exigências, para que arranjos fossem implementados para a readequação do ambiente de trabalho, a fim de minimizar os riscos de transmissão (SILVEIRA et al, 2021). Esse cenário implicou em alterações importantes nas infraestruturas das unidades ambulatoriais, cirúrgicas, de internamento e nos próprios protocolos de cuidados (Pagotto et al, 2022).…”

A Decision Support System for the Surgical Care during the Epidemic of Covid-19

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“…Equation (11) means that all operations beginning equal to or superior to time 0. Equation (12) indicates that an operation must be treated once only. Equations ( 13) to (1) are binary variables.…”

Bone grafting in maxillofacial trauma

“…After the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of maxillofacial trauma patients tended to decrease [14 ▪ ]. Fractures of the maxillofacial region were considered ‘high risk’ for COVID transmission, and conservative management strategies were often employed.…”