The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental trauma attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental trauma patient attendance. The study was registered in the PROSPERO system, using the CRD42021288398 protocol. Searching was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Lilacs, and OpenGrey databases, using the following keywords: "Tooth injuries," "Dental trauma," "Traumatic Dental injury," and "COVID-19". We included observational studies evaluating dental trauma in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Cross-Sectional Studies. Meta-analysis was performed in RevMan 5.4 software with Odds Ratios as a pooled measure of effect, with a 95% confidence interval, and using random-effects modeling. After applying the eligibility criteria, 32 studies were included for qualitative analysis, in which 10 were used to assess the frequency of dental trauma diagnoses in dental emergencies. Despite the decrease of visits during COVID-19, the analysis revealed no difference between the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. Regarding the type of dental trauma, two of the studies revealed no differences for the periods before and during the pandemic. This study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted the frequency or type of dental trauma compared to previous periods.

Oral Alterations in a COVID-19 Patient: Case Report and Update of Main Findings

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic due to the worldwide dissemination and the severity with which the disease attacks the human organism. Some oral lesions have been observed in COVID-19 patients. However, there is still no concrete evidence of the real influence of SARS-CoV-2 on the human body, especially in the oral region. In this context, the present report discusses a case of a COVID-19 patient with oral alterations. The male patient presented ulcerative lesions of painful symptomatology and petechiae in the oral mucosa. This study also performed a literature review of the main oral alterations reported in the literature. Although more studies with a larger number of cases should be performe d, the present clinical case may have manifested signs of this pathology in the oral cavity since the epithelial cells of the oral mucosa have ACE2 receptors.

RESUMEN: El COVID-19 se caracterizó como una pandemia debido a la diseminación mundial y la gravedad con la que la enfermedad ataca al organismo humano. Se han observado algunas lesiones orales en pacientes con COVID-19. Sin embargo, todavía no hay evidencia concreta de la influencia del SARS-CoV-2 en el cuerpo humano, especialmente en la cavidad oral. En este contexto, el presente reporte analiza un caso de un paciente con COVID-19 con alteraciones orales. El paciente de sexo masculino presentó lesiones ulcerativas de sintomatología dolorosa y petequias en la mucosa oral. Este estudio también realizó una revisión de la literatura de las principales alteraciones orales reportadas en la literatura. Si bien se deben realizar más estudios con un mayor número de pacientes, el presente reporte de caso puede haber manifestado signos de esta patología en la cavidad oral ya que las células epiteliales de la mucosa oral tienen receptores ACE2.