Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude of Teledentistry Among Dentists in Kanchipuram District - A Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction: A highly infectious and life-threatening novel coronavirus Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has been spreading worldwide, causing severe medical complications and practising dentistry is becoming difficult. To reduce the risk of spread of coronavirus infection between dentist and patient, teledentistry, an innovative digital tool, has the potential to reach patients straightforward without direct contact. Materials and Methods: A self-structured standard questionnaire was framed and distributed among dentists from July 2021 to August 2021. The survey consisted of 15 closed-ended and multiple-choice questions related to awareness, knowledge and attitude of teledentistry during this COVID 19 pandemic. After proper validation of the questionnaire from the experts and evaluating reliability, the survey was conducted by forwarding the link of the Google Form through social media. Totally 520 participants responded to the survey. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software version 21. All statistical analyses were carried out at a significance level of P < 0.05. The descriptive data were analysed and compared using the Chi-square test. Results: Among specialists, general practitioners, postgraduate students and undergraduate students, specialists have better awareness, knowledge and attitude of teledentistry. Almost all participants have 50% knowledge about teledentistry and have a high (80%) attitude towards teledentistry. Conclusion: From this study, it is clearly understood that it is high time to increase the use of teledentistry practice by spreading knowledge among dentists and dental students. It is potentially an innovative digital tool in this new era of dentistry. It is an effective tool not only in the current pandemic situation but also in emergencies. Thus, teledentistry is a satisfied boon in the field of dentistry through the use of digital technology.

"Dentist as Smile Weavers" An Online Survey on Infection Surveillance, Emergency Treatment, Economic Setbacks, and Stress Endured by Periodontists of South India during COVID-19.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 virus introduction and subsequent COVID-19 pandemic have had a profound impact on normal dentistry, particularly periodontal treatment, around the world. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the infection surveillance, emergency treatment, economic setbacks, and stress endured by periodontists of South India during COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to July 2021 among periodontists in South India. A total of 300 periodontists were chosen through the randomized sampling technique. The data were collected using a self-reported closed-end questionnaire consisting of 38 questions through Google Forms. The information was entered into a database and analyzed using SPSS program version 16.0. Results: A total of 300 people took part in the survey, 277 (92.3%) dentists responded to the survey in its entirety. Periodontists and postgraduates made up 24.18% and 75.9% of those who responded, respectively. For all of the questions asked, there was a statistically significant difference among the responses. The majority of respondents agreed on questions about periodontists' knowledge, practice, mentality, and financial setbacks concerning the COVID-19 epidemic. Conclusion: Most of the periodontists that we surveyed have adequate knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 and have been taking adequate measures in preventing the spread of the disease. This pandemic has a negative impact on the periodontists. This study indicates a high level of depression among a significant number of periodontists. It is important to monitor and address the mental health needs of practitioners during the pandemic. The knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding teledentistry were found to be satisfactory among the periodontists.

Knowledge of Fertility and Perception of Fertility Treatment Among Adults with Sickle Cell Disease (KNOW FERTILITY)

Background Adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) face unique fertility risks due to SCD and use of disease modifying therapies (DMTs). Concerns about compromising fertility may inform patients' therapy choices, but little is known about fertility knowledge in adults with SCD. The Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale (CFKS) and Fertility Treatment Perception Survey have been studied in international and national cohorts 1,2. The purpose of this study was to administer these surveys to adults with SCD and compare responses to previously studied populations. Methods Our IRB approved this cross-sectional study of adults with SCD (≥18YO) cared for at our Sickle Cell Center for Adults. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, eligible subjects were recruited during routine telemedicine clinic visits and by invitation via electronic medical record. We collected demographic information (sex, age (≥/< 31YO), educational attainment, and use of DMTs). The CFKS is a 13-question survey that measures knowledge of causes of reduced fertility, common misconceptions about fertility, and infertility facts. Questions are answered True/False/Don't know and equally weighted;the cumulative score is 0-100%. We compared the mean CFKS scores to the scores from two published cohorts 1,2. The fertility treatment perception survey consists of two positive and four negative statements about fertility treatment with responses given on a five-point Likert scale (1= strongly disagree to 5= strongly agree). Responses are calculated by number of respondents with an agreement score of 4 and/or 5 divided by total number of respondents per sub-group;higher scores indicate stronger agreement. Analysis included summary statistics with means and standard deviations and independent student's T-test to compare the mean fertility knowledge scores. Results We contacted 435 subjects;91 respondents were enrolled (21% response rate). Respondents were 77% female [median age 33 years (IQR 23, 50)]. 51% completed high school or less and 18% used one or more DMTs, with 65% taking hydroxyurea. Table 1 shows the CFKS results. The average CFKS score was 50%, lower than the international cohort (50% vs. 57%, p<0.001) and higher than a cohort of Black women in Atlanta, GA (50% vs. 38%, p<0.001). Respondents with higher educational attainment had a higher score (55% secondary education vs. 44% primary education, p=0.04). The questions most answered correctly addressed the lack of correlation between erectile function and fertility (79%) and smoking's risk to fertility in men (69%) and women (71%). The questions least answered correctly were about classifying infertility (32%) and the impact of age effect (34%), overweight effect (25%), and sexually transmitted infections' effect on fertility (36%). There was no difference in knowledge scores by age, sex, or SCD treatment. Table 2 shows fertility treatment perception survey results. Some respondents (34%) agreed that fertility treatments are safe. Almost half (46%) agreed that fertility treatments are effective. Over 60% of respondents agreed that fertility treatments are scary and/or cause emotional problems, while 48% agreed that fertility treatments may have short-term physical effects. There was no difference in responses by sex, age, or SCD treatment. Conclusion In this study, we identify that higher educational attainment in adults with SCD is associated with better fertility knowledge. All subjects had low knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, weight gain, and older age as infertility risks. Although there is concern that hydroxyurea may compromise fertility, its use was not associated with greater fertility knowledge in this study. Given concerns about fertility in the SCD community, we identify an opportunity to support patients concerned about fertility by contextualizing real or theorized SCD-specific fertility risks within a broader set of established fertility risks. References: 1. Bunting L, Tsibulsky I, Boivin J. Fertility knowledge and beliefs about fertility treatment: findings from the International Fer ility Decision-making Study. Hum Reprod. 2013 Feb;28(2):385-97. doi: 10.1093/humrep/des402. Epub 2012 Nov 25. PMID: 23184181. 2. Wiltshire A, Brayboy LM, Phillips K, et al. Infertility knowledge and treatment beliefs among African American women in an urban community. Contracept Reprod Med. 2019 Sep 24;4:16. doi: 10.1186/s40834-019-0097-x. PMCID: PMC6757383. [Formula presented] Disclosures: Lanzkron: Shire: Research Funding;GBT: Research Funding;Novo Nordisk: Consultancy;CSL Behring: Research Funding;Pfizer: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company;Teva: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company;Novartis: Research Funding;Bluebird Bio: Consultancy;Imara: Research Funding.

Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine among Dental Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study among Practitioners, Residents, and Students.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly across the world, prompting governments to impose lengthy restrictions on both movement and trade. While lockdowns reduce the prevalence of COVID-19 disease, they may have a negative impact on the economy and job levels. Dental medicine has been one of the most severely impacted industries during this crisis. Dental professionals are exposed to environments with high levels of occupational hazards, additional risks of viral exposure, and transmission. METHODS: We analyzed 705 anonymous questionnaires filled out by dentists, dental students, and postgraduate students about their willingness to consider a new SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. RESULTS: Our findings show a statistically significant relationship between an individual's unemployment rate and their ability to be immunized with a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. CONCLUSION: As part of the global vaccination program's alertness, these data may be used to forecast patterns in vaccine adoption or denial depending on economic burden during the COVID-19 pandemic by various industries.

Rationale Based Selection and Prioritization of Antiviral Drugs for COVID-19 Management (preprint)

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in COVID-19 pandemic and infected more than 5million individuals with around 0.35 million deaths worldwide till May 2020 end. Severalefforts are on in search of therapeutic interventions, but the preferred way is drugrepurposing due to the feasibility and urgency of the situation. To select and prioritizeapproved antiviral drugs and drug combinations for COVID-19, 61 antiviral drugs havingproven safety profile in humans were subjected to virtual screening for binding to threeselect targets namely human angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor-2 receptor-bindingdomain (hACE-2) involved in virus entry, SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase(RdRp) responsible for viral RNA replication and SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro) causingproteolytic processing of viral polyprotein slab. Targeting multiple ‘disease pathogenesisspecific proteins’ within a close network of interaction or having dependent functionality canprovide effective intervention. Ledipasvir, Daclatasvir, Elbasvir, Paritaprevir, Rilpivirine andIndinavir were identified as candidate drugs of interest for COVID-19 based on a derivedcombined activity score, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Ledipasvir andDaclatasvir and their approved marketed combination with Sofosbuvir emerged as leadingcandidate drugs/drug combinations for SARS-CoV-2. These candidates have the potentialfor the antiviral activity for SARS-CoV-2 infection better than the investigational drugRemdesivir and other antiviral drugs/drug combinations being evaluated. Thesedrugs/combinations merit systematic fast track preclinical and clinical evaluation for COVID-19 management. The present work brings back attention to the potential usefulness ofapproved antiviral drugs/drug combinations, commonly available with established safetyprofile, currently not in focus for COVID-19. It provides a rationale based approach for theselection of drugs with potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 highlighting thedesired properties.

Discovery of potential multi-target-directed ligands by targeting host-specific SARS-CoV-2 structurally conserved main protease.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has resulted in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide this disease has infected over 2.5 million individuals with a mortality rate ranging from 5 to 10%. There are several efforts going on in the drug discovery to control the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. The main protease (MPro) plays a critical role in viral replication and maturation, thus can serve as the primary drug target. To understand the structural evolution of MPro, we have performed phylogenetic and Sequence Similarity Network analysis, that depicted divergence of Coronaviridae MPro in five clusters specific to viral hosts. This clustering was corroborated with the comparison of MPro structures. Furthermore, it has been observed that backbone and binding site conformations are conserved despite variation in some of the residues. These attributes can be exploited to repurpose available viral protease inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 MPro. In agreement with this, we performed screening of ∼7100 molecules including active ingredients present in the Ayurvedic anti-tussive medicines, anti-viral phytochemicals and synthetic anti-virals against SARS-CoV-2 MPro as the primary target. We identified several natural molecules like δ-viniferin, myricitrin, taiwanhomoflavone A, lactucopicrin 15-oxalate, nympholide A, afzelin, biorobin, hesperidin and phyllaemblicin B that strongly binds to SARS-CoV-2 MPro. Intrestingly, these molecules also showed strong binding with other potential targets of SARS-CoV-2 infection like viral receptor human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE-2) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). We anticipate that our approach for identification of multi-target-directed ligand will provide new avenues for drug discovery against SARS-CoV-2 infection.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.