The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Orthodontic Patients in China: An Analysis of Posts on Weibo.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many dental care services including orthodontic practice were suspended. Orthodontic patients turned to social media platforms to communicate, share experiences, and look for solutions. Our study aimed to investigate the attitudes and perspectives of orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 epidemic in China by analyzing orthodontics-related posts on Sina Weibo (a Chinese counterpart of Twitter). Materials and Methods: Potentially eligible posts on Sina Weibo platform were collected between December 30, 2019, and April 18, 2020. Posts related to both orthodontics and COVID-19 were included and then coded and classified into specific appliances and themes. Geographic and temporal distributions of the included posts were analyzed. In addition, time-lagged cross correlation was performed to explore the association between the number of daily posts and daily new COVID-19 cases/deaths in China. Chi-square tests were employed to compare the differences between fixed appliances and aligners in problems/difficulties and feelings during the epidemic. Results: Of the 28,911 posts identified, 4,484 were included in the analysis. The most frequently mentioned themes were appointments (n = 2,621, 58.5%), negative feelings (n = 2,189, 48.8%), and problems/difficulties (n = 1,155, 25.8%). A majority of posts were tweeted in regions with high levels of economic development and population density in eastern China and from February to March. The number of daily posts had a significantly positive correlation with daily new COVID-19 cases/deaths in China (P < 0.05). Compared with clear aligners, patients with fixed appliances reported more problems/difficulties (P < 0.001) and negative feelings (P < 0.001), but fewer positive feelings (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The analysis of Weibo posts provided a timely understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on orthodontic patients. Delayed appointments were their greatest concern, and negative feelings and untreated orthodontic problems increased during the suspension of dental care services. However, patients with clear aligners reported fewer negative feelings and problems than those with fixed appliances. The findings highlighted the need to consider both treatment- and psychology-related issues of orthodontic patients and how to handle them appropriately during the epidemic.

Resumption of Endodontic Practices in COVID-19 Hardest-Hit Area of China: A Web-based Survey.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the resumption of endodontic practices in Hubei Province, China 1 month after the end of the lockdown. METHODS: A Web-based survey was sent to 1069 active endodontic specialists and general dentists who provided endodontic care in Hubei Province from May 7 to May 9, 2020. The survey consisted of 18 questions on demographics, the current situation of endodontic practice for the participants, and concerns regarding contracting or spreading the virus in newly opened endodontic practices. RESULTS: A total of 322 participants completed the survey. Most respondents (62%) were from Wuhan. Almost 83% of the respondents have resumed their endodontic practice partially or fully. Most respondents in practice (99%) would take measures to screen patients before treatment including paid screening measures. More than 93% of the respondents reported having taken special measures for routine endodontic treatment at this stage, with the most common measure taken being wearing an N95 mask. The rubber dam was recognized as efficient in preventing infection by most respondents. Many respondents were concerned about contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a result of routine endodontic practice at this stage, and respondents with more than 11 years of endodontic experience were significantly less concerned about infection compared with those with fewer than 5 years of experience (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a fear of contracting/spreading COVID-19 among endodontic clinicians, the fear is negatively associated with years of practice, and most clinicians believe that rubber dam isolation can protect them and their patients from COVID-19.

Online consultation and emergency management in paediatric dentistry during the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic posed a great challenge to paediatric dentistry, which confronted with the restriction of service and resource shortage. AIM: To retrospectively analyse the information of children's dental online health consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic in China, and to provide methods to distinguish between dental emergencies and non-emergencies as well as their management. DESIGN: We collected all the online consultation information in Dept. of Paediatric dentistry, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, from 2 February to 31 March 2020, and extracted the information of age, gender, reason for consultation, description of symptom, and preliminary diagnosis of the children. RESULTS: A total of 474 online consultations of paediatric dentistry were included within 59 days during lockdown, and 190 (40.1%) were dental emergencies and 284 (59.9%) non-emergencies. Of 190 emergency consultations, 186 (97.9%) showed swelling, pain, and trauma with or without systemic symptoms. Among 284 non-emergency consultations, retained primary teeth (n = 126) and orthodontic consultation (n = 53) were the most common reasons for consultation. CONCLUSION: The paediatric emergency and non-emergency problems should be clearly distinguished and sufficient instructions provided in the special period of COVID-19. Priorities also should be set to deal with urgent conditions after the release of lockdown.

COVID-19 Related Experience, Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviors Among 2,669 Orthodontists, Orthodontic Residents, and Nurses in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objectives: To assess the current COVID-19 related experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among orthodontists, orthodontic residents, and orthodontic nurses in China, and to identify factors associated with their self-perceived and actual level of knowledge, as well as their willingness to treat/care for COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in China using a 37-item questionnaire developed based on previous research. A professional online survey tool (www.wjx.cn) and a social media platform (WeChat) were used to display and distribute the questionnaire. Data were collected during April 11 to 13, 2020, when most regions of China had resumed dental practice except for high-risk regions such as Wuhan. Then the data were analyzed with multivariable generalized estimating equations. Results: A total of 2,669 valid questionnaires were collected. Orthodontic services were suspended for nearly all respondents (97.8%) during the epidemic, and 68.0% had resumed work by the time they completed the questionnaire. The majority of respondents (80.2%) were confident that they understood COVID-19 related knowledge, but most of them only correctly answered less than half of the questions testing their actual level of knowledge. About two-thirds (64.1%) were willing to treat/care for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The completion of relevant training programs was significantly associated with more confidence in knowledge mastery (P < 0.001) and a higher actual level of knowledge (P < 0.001), but did not increase their willingness to treat/care for patients with COVID-19 (P = 0.235). Conclusions: Before work resumption, COVID-19-related training programs are essential for the improvement of knowledge, confidence, and preparedness of orthodontic professionals. Sufficient and proper protection should also be provided to ensure safety and reduce the psychological burden on them. Clinical Relevance: The findings can provide evidence for policy-making related to the resumption of elective dental services.