ABSTRACT
Introduction Oral cancer has a great impact on quality of life (QOL). Many risk factors influence the overall QOL. Our study was performed to evaluate the QOL among patients with oral cancer and to correlate it with age, gender, tobacco usage, and clinicopathological details. Methods We have used the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Head and Neck Module (EORTC QLQ-HN43) and the Quality of Life Questionnaires for Core 30 (QLQ-C30) among the patients diagnosed with oral cancer after reporting to our institution. The Gpower calculation based on differences between two independent means reported by Meera et al. had a total sample size of 28 with an actual power of 0.9616. Thirty-five patients were included in the present study. Ethical clearance for this study was obtained, and there were no gender or age limits for enrollment. The patient demographic details and case history with relevant treatment information were collected from the DIAS (Dental Information Archival Software) of Saveetha Dental College, Chennai. After obtaining informed consent from the patients, the EORTC QLQ-HN43 and QLQ-C30 questionnaires were given to them. It was used both in Tamil and English. Various domains such as pain, appearance, and oral function were documented. The findings were correlated with clinical and histopathological findings. The collected data were tabulated and statistically analyzed with IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 (IBM Corp., USA). The mean ± SD were calculated for continuous variables, and frequency with percentage was determined for categorical parameters. Results The study included both men (57%) and women (43%) in the age range of 30-70 years, with a mean age of 50 years. Study samples included tobacco users (82%) and non-tobacco users (18%). Out of the 35 patients, 15 patients had lesions involving the buccal mucosa (42%) and 10 involving the tongue (28%). Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was the most common type of lesion, and it was mostly treated surgically with resection and excision (82%), or just excision (18%). Seventy percent of our patients underwent reconstruction, while primary closure was done in only 30% of cases. All of the patients underwent neck dissection, including supraomohyoid neck dissection (52%), modified radial neck dissection (40%), and radial neck dissection (8%). Histopathology revealed that 49% had well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, 23% had moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, and 28% had poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Out of the 35 included cases, five patients had died (14%). The primary site was buccal mucosa in all five cases, and surprisingly, three patients also had recurrences post-surgery or post-radiotherapy. We observed that the average rating of overall health and overall QOL at the time of diagnosis was 5.4. After one year of follow-up, the average rating of overall health and overall QOL was found to be 3.4. Conclusion The administration of EORTC QLQ-HN43 was found to be efficacious in our study on patients with OSCC. We could identify baseline data regarding the QOL of our patients treated for OSCC. We have identified critical domains of oral function that need to be focused upon to improve the overall QOL of OSCC patients through adjunctive therapies. We have also identified higher mortality and overall poorer QOL in patients with OSCC involving the buccal mucosa.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is a terrible pandemic sweeping the whole world with more than 600 million confirmed cases and 6 million recorded deaths. Vaccination was identified as the sole option that could help in combatting the disease. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were assessed in the saliva of vaccinated participants (Covaxin and Covishield) through enzyme-linked sorbent assay (ELISA). The IgG antibody titres in females were significantly greater than those of males. The total antibody titres of vaccinated individuals were greater than those of unvaccinated participants, although not statistically significant. Individuals who had completed both doses of vaccination had higher antibody levels than those who had received a single dose. People who had experienced COVID-19 after vaccination had better immunity compared to those who were unvaccinated with COVID-19 history. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies were successfully demonstrated in saliva samples, and knowledge about the immunity triggered by the vaccines can assist in making informed choices.
ABSTRACT
Rationale: COVID-19 patients, especially immunocompromised or severely ill, have a higher probability of suffering from invasive fungal infections. Patient Concerns: A 41-years-old male reported with pain and heaviness in the face for the past 20 days. Patient had tested COVID-19 positive 20 days back and was recently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. On histopathological examination numerous hyphae resembling mucor and asper fungi were evident. Diagnosis: Chronic invasive aspergillosis with fulminant mucormycosis sparing palate. Treatment: Since the lesion was spreading very rapidly the patient was referred to an isolation facility for further management. Outcomes: We have postulated few hypothesis for the coinfection of aspergillosis and mucormycosis in our patient. Take-away Lessons: It is important for the clinicians to systematically screen post COVID-19 patients for fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised and severely ill patients.
ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is the seventh member of the Coronaviridiae family of viruses, which are thought to be transmitted by Chinese horseshoe bats. The virus undergoes mutations leading to variants such as B.1.1.7 (alpha), B.1.351 (beta), P.1 (gamma), and B.1.617 (delta), as well as the recent variant B.1.1.529 (omicron), which has around 30 deletions, making it a severely mutated form that lowers vaccination-induced protection. Vaccine efficacy is usually expressed as relative risk reduction, which is based on the ratio of attack rates with and without a vaccine, whereas absolute risk reduction is based on the entire population. Rather than two doses, recent research suggests that a third dose/booster dose may aid in protection against future variants. The constant influx of mutant variations is putting a strain on vaccine production. Despite the challenges, we are optimistic that the epidemic will be eradicated by achieving mass immunity and by ensuring that everyone receives vaccines at a faster rate.
ABSTRACT
Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has become a pandemic and a real threat for those working in healthcare. It has affected dental professionals in education, research, and practice. This article intended to review the impact and brunt of COVID-19 outbreaks on dental education and research country wise and how it affected the three learning domains - cognitive domain, psychomotor domain and affective domain. A review was designed to identify the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on dental education. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Google scholar databases. Studies in which teaching methods by virtual means were described and how it affected dental education during the pandemic all over the world were included. The search terms selected to search for literature were dental education, COVID-19, dental schools and dentistry. COVID-19 has caused a significant change in overall dental education in all the countries. It has affected dental education both negatively and positively. The pandemic caused disruption in learning leading to psychological distress. Even though many students preferred web-based learning, majority of them considered learning through online mode as a challenge. COVID-19 pandemic has enforced all the dental schools to modify their traditional way of teaching to an alternate mode of teaching to adapt to this current situation of the pandemic all over the world. It caused an everlasting impact on dental education, research along with practice. The dental institutes must be well prepared to face this pandemic by investing in educational software so that it leads to the evolution and advancement in the fields of virtual mode of teaching, in research and in preclinical training.