Electronic Cigarettes, Oral Health, and COVID-19: What You Need to Know

ABSTRACT: Known as "vaping devices", electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been consumed more and more on a global scale, in addition to being considered another factor in the transmission of COVID-19. Electronic cigarettes use chemicals in liquid form, which are incorporated, heated and vaporized. Such solutions may or may not contain nicotine. For this reason, many users of conventional cigarettes rely on the idea of stopping their addiction by switching to electronic cigarettes, with the justification of reduced harm. Despite a scientific knowledge still in formation, unable to remedy all the consequences that these cigarettes cause on the individual's health, as well as their effects on the mouth, the purpose of this article is to discuss the main results that scientific studies have found on this topic and propose an awareness of the population about its harmful effects on health and transmission of COVID-19 by sharing among users.

RESUMEN: Conocidos como "dispositivos de vapeo", los cigarrillos electrónicos (e-cigarettes) se han consumido cada vez más a escala mundial, además de ser considerados un factor adicional en la transmisión del COVID-19. Los cigarrillos electrónicos utilizan productos químicos en forma líquida, que se incorporan, calientan y vaporizan. Tales soluciones pueden o no, contener nicotina. Por esta razón, muchos usuarios de cigarrillos convencionales confían en la idea de dejar su adicción pasándose a los cigarrillos electrónicos, con la justificación de la reducción del daño. A pesar de un conocimiento científico aún en formación es incapaz de remediar todas las consecuencias que estos cigarrillos provocan en la salud del individuo, así como sus efectos en la cavidad oral. El propósito de este artículo fue discutir los principales resultados que los estudios científicos han encontrado sobre este tema y proponer una concientización de la población sobre los efectos nocivos en la salud y transmisión del COVID-19 mediante el intercambio entre usuarios.

Dysgeusia and COVID-19: the Importance of the Dentist in the Diagnostic

ABSTRACT: Dysgeusia is understood as changes in the perception of taste in patients infected with COVID-19 and has been frequently observed in the early stages of the disease. Along with the causes of dysgeusia, we can mention the correlation with infectious conditions, being of importance for the differential diagnosis. Dysgeusia can be considered one of the first manifestations of COVID-19, being an important contribution in the search for solutions regarding early diagnosis and treatment, in addition to its hospital and laboratory application.

RESUMEN: La disgeusia se entiende como cambios en la percepción del gusto en pacientes infectados por COVID-19 y se ha observado con frecuencia en las primeras etapas de la enfermedad. Junto a las causas de la disgeusia, podemos mencionar la correlación con patologías infecciosas, siendo de importancia para el diagnóstico diferencial. La disgeusia se puede considerar como una de las primeras manifestaciones del COVID-19, siendo un aporte importante en la búsqueda de soluciones en cuanto al diagnóstico y tratamiento precoces, además de su aplicación hospitalaria y de laboratorio.

Automatic cephalometric analysis: is it time to switch to a hands-free method?

Aim: To evaluate the reliability of the automatic cephalometric analysis in relation to the semi-automatic method. Methods: Fifty lateral cephalometric radiographs were selected and two dental surgeons performed the Steiner and Tweed analyses independently using the semi-automatic method on the Radiocef Studio 2® software suite (Radiomemory, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil), and the automatic method on the Kodak Dental Imaging Software (Carestream Health, Rochester, NY, USA). After thirty days, 30% of the sample was re-evaluated to assess intra-observer agreement. Ten angular and linear measurements of both analyses were selected, averaged for both observers and compared using Student's t-test with a significance level of 5% (α=0.05). Intra and inter-observer agreement were assessed through Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. Results: Intra-observer reproducibility was excellent for all measurements and inter-observer reproducibility was excellent for most of them. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between automatic and semi-automatic methods for all measurements. Most of the measurements were significantly higher (p<0.05) with the automatic method. Conclusion: Semi-automatic cephalometric analysis can not be replaced with a completely automatic method