COVID-19 Infection in Academic Dental Hospital Personnel; A Cross-Sectional Survey in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Close patient contact is an essential component of clinical dental education, which can expose students and faculty to risk of COVID-19 and its sequelae. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted among faculty and clinical students at an academic dental hospital in Al Madinah western Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed to collect data on prevalence, risk factors, clinical manifestations, and long-term health and socioeconomic complications of COVID-19 infection. Results: Prevalence of COVID-19 was 19.6% among a total of 316 students and faculty. Participants cited family and friends as the primary source of infection (40.3%). Among cross-infection control practices, they cited failure to practice distancing as the primary reason for infection transmission (61.3%). The disease was symptomatic in 85.5% of infected personnel. Most frequently reported clinical manifestations were: fever, cough, malaise, and diarrhoea (74.1%, 56.5%, 40.3%, 32.3%, respectively). A proportion of 37.1% of infected personnel stated that they had long COVID-19, and 58.3% of infected students reported deteriorated academic achievement. Conclusions: One in five of clinical dental students and their faculty had COVID-19. Most cases were symptomatic, and a large proportion developed long COVID or adverse socioeconomic consequences. Regardless of the severity of symptoms encountered during the acute stage of COVID-19 infection, all infected dental healthcare personnel should be followed, especially those who report long COVID. Continuous follow-up and assistance for infected students may be warranted to mitigate the potential academic and mental drawbacks caused by the pandemic. Dental schools should adopt clear policies regarding COVID-19 transmission and prevention and should implement them in their infection-control education and training.

Air Quality in Dental Care Facilities: Update to Current Management and Control Strategies Implementing New Technologies: A Comprehensive Review

“…Recently, UV tubes have been incorporated in air purifiers, complementarily processing the already purified air deriving from the air passage of environment from microcrystalline carbon filters and HEPA filters [50]. According to national and international authorities on air splatter research and management, the preservation of air quality of indoor areas is critical for limiting the spread of airborne diseases in working areas, including dental care facilities [51,52].…”

Comparación de sistemas de evaluación diagnóstica de la severidad de la osteoartrosis en imágenes de TAC de las ATM

“…Con posterioridad, el año 2014, se publicó la versión revisada como Criterios de Diagnóstico (DC/TMD), para su uso en clínica. Inicialmente en la primera publicación de validación, el estudio por medio de imágenes de la ATM era opcional para el diagnóstico, posteriormente a contar de la segunda versión, es recomendado para la adecuada evaluación de las ATM (4,11,12) .…”

Persistence of COVID-19 symptoms beyond 3 months and the delayed return to the usual state of health in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…However, those were restricted to a specific patient population or reported shorter follow-up duration. 14 – 16 Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we aim to analyse the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms beyond 3 months or more of disease onset and return to the usual state of health in a mixed population of COVID-19 survivors.…”