February 26, 2021 | News

YEKATERINBURG, Russia: Aside from personal protective equipment (PPE), high-volume aspirators are recommended in dental clinics during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In a recent study, researchers from the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (UB of RAS) in Yekaterinburg compared different types of aspirating systems and found that factors such as filters and operating mode affected the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 among dental teams.

February 23, 2021 | Interviews

The ongoing pandemic has had a great impact on many fields in dentistry, including routine procedures and the way in which dental education is delivered. In order to find out more about the extent to which the field of implant dentistry has been affected, Dental Tribune International contacted Prof. Maher Almasri, dean of the College of Medicine and Dentistry at Ulster University in Birmingham in the UK, and Prof. Curd Bollen, head of implant dentistry at the same institution. In this interview, they discuss how implant dentistry can best be adapted to the current situation.

February 22, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: Researchers in India have found that scientific literature supports salivary diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 infection as an alternative to sampling techniques that involve throat and nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs). Salivary diagnostic testing has been trialled in numerous initiatives around the world—including recently at Auckland Airport in New Zealand—and healthcare workers at government hospitals in Malaysia will soon begin testing for SARS-CoV-2 using saliva samples.

February 17, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: The lead scientist behind a “disappointing” study into the efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first found in South Africa says that the results serve as a reality check for those aiming to achieve herd immunity through inoculation. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was found to offer little protection against the more virulent strain. Regulators in South Africa have since shelved plans to use one million doses of the vaccine, despite assurances from scientists that it still protects against serious disease.

February 17, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: Since being implemented on 1 January, the UK government’s new system of NHS targets has drawn its fair share of detractors from both inside and outside the dental profession. Now, a member of parliament (MP) has accused mydentist, the UK’s largest dental chain, of advising its members to “prioritise routine check-ups over treatments in order to meet the new targets”.

February 10, 2021 | News

TEMPE, Ariz., U.S.: Align Technology sold a record 1.6 million cases of clear aligners in 2020—the same year in which most governments and businesses around the world hemorrhaged money while being starved of income. The clear aligner maker did a lot for dentists and orthodontists last year and is now reaping the rewards. Moreover, the digital workflows behind clear aligner therapy are helping dentists and orthodontists to keep patient numbers high.

February 10, 2021 | News

OPORTO, Portugal: A recently published paper, which is the second of a three-part series on the management of COVID-19 in clinical dental care settings, aims to describe the selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by dental care professionals, based on the level of risk associated with the planned procedures. The researchers emphasise the importance of properly putting on and removing PPE, as well as choosing the appropriate equipment because it can be associated with a risk of infection.

February 9, 2021 | News

DOHA, Qatar: Since periodontitis and COVID-19 are both associated with systemic inflammation, researchers from Qatar University and Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar have investigated the connection of periodontitis with severe outcomes of the respiratory syndrome. The study findings supported a link between the two diseases, as COVID-19 patients with periodontitis were more likely to experience complications or to die.

February 8, 2021 | Interviews

As part of work supported by a series of rapid-response grants for COVID-19-related research, mechanical engineering PhD student Dongjie Jia at Cornell University, U.S., helped develop a design for an open-faced helmet for patient use that is connected to a medical-grade air filtration pump from the top that creates a reverse flow of air to prevent cough droplets from entering the clinic environment. In an interview with Dental Tribune International, Jia explained how this project, which was funded by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, was born and how it could help medical professionals in the ongoing pandemic.

February 5, 2021 | News

DUBAI, UAE: Non-urgent dental treatment has been suspended in the emirate of Dubai—the most populous city and territory in the UAE. According to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the precautionary measure aims to protect patients and healthcare personnel from SARS-CoV-2 and to hinder the spread of the virus.

February 5, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: The UK government has recently imposed a new system of targets that is planned to increase dental activity in the country and to help address the backlog of COVID-19 patients. However, many dental professionals fear that the targets are unattainable and that the only way to comply with the new conditions is by prioritising non-urgent care over urgent cases. Now, a new report has shown that sales of at-home dental care kits in the UK are increasing, and the British Dental Association (BDA) believes that this surge in sales is a consequence of the recent policies adopted by the government.

February 4, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: One of the greatest challenges for the dental profession in returning to normal business is the inherent risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via emitted sprays, associated with commonly performed dental procedures. A recent study by researchers at Imperial College London, King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust found that controlling certain parameters could help during the current crisis to alter the key properties of sprays.

February 3, 2021 | News

LEIPZIG, Germany: New discoveries about COVID-19 are outpacing the nomenclature. Research is emerging that suggests that a large number of COVID-19 patients experience symptoms in the oral cavity that are not yet recognised as typical signs of the disease. Geographic tongue—which is being referred to as “COVID tongue”—has been observed in those with COVID-19, as have herpetic lesions and oral aphthous ulceration.

February 2, 2021 | News

RICHMOND, Va., U.S.: The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to create insecurity around the world. A survey of dental and dental hygiene students enrolled at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, U.S., has investigated whether their post-graduation career plans have been affected by the pandemic. A considerable number stated that the current situation caused anxiety and concern about the security of the dental profession.

January 28, 2021 | News

HARLOW, UK: Now that many questions regarding COVID-19, including its symptoms, risks and recovery time, have been answered, researchers are faced with a new dilemma: SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and immunity. Although unusual, it is evident that reinfections do occur, and in a recent study, researchers explored whether individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 are protected from future infection. The findings suggested that past infection may provide natural immunity and that the said immunity is effective for approximately half a year after the initial infection.

January 22, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: Dentists in England currently receive their former National Health Service (NHS) contract value provided they spend the same amount of time working on providing NHS care as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, slowing down or completely halting all business operations. However, the new system of targets imposed by the UK government states that dentists who are unable to deliver 45% of their pre-pandemic dental activity will face financial penalties plus potential breach of contract consequences. Naturally, dental professionals have opposed the new contractual arrangement, claiming that it threatens the viability of many practices and undermines patient care.

January 20, 2021 | Interviews

Dr Elham Kateeb’s professional career has been devoted to dentistry: She is an associate professor of dental public health and the dean of scientific research at Al-Quds University in Palestine, an elected member of FDI World Dental Federation’s Public Health Committee and a health service researcher, to name but a few of her responsibilities. She is also involved in the education of a future generation of dentists, an undertaking which is not without its challenges. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has had a great impact on the way she and her students work and learn together. In an interview with Dental Tribune International, Kateeb spoke about these difficulties and of how there could be a positive outcome for the whole of dentistry.

January 19, 2021 | News

LONDON, UK: The British Dental Association (BDA) warned in early January that hundreds of dental practices would be put out of business if the government did not abandon NHS targets for patient volumes during the national lockdown. New polling has since revealed the extent to which UK residents are cancelling or avoiding dental treatment altogether, and Dr Dave Cottam, the BDA’s chair of the General Dental Practice Committee, says that when the facts change, so must the policies.