Teledental Consultations Using a Messaging Application during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from a Singapore COVID-19 Community Care Facility

Introduction: During the 'Circuit Breaker' period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore from April to June 2020, governmental policies restricted the practice of dentistry nationwide to the provision of emergency treatment only, regardless of the patient's COVID status. As such, teledentistry was used as an alternative means to continue providing some form of dental care to COVID-19-positive patients who were admitted to a COVID-19 Community Care Facility. Description: The patients were physically triaged by physicians who would send clinical photos to the author via a messaging application, who would in turn triage the patients and assess if they required referral for emergency dental treatment. For patients who did not meet the criteria for referral, the author would advise the physicians on the subsequent management plan which included, but was not limited to, the provision of symptomatic relief. Conclusion(s): This article shows the feasibility of undertaking teledental consultations using clinical photos transmitted via a messaging application. The practical implication is a reduced barrier for patients and healthcare professionals to access teledentistry, without having to resort to sophisticated equipment. Hopefully, this will translate into the continued provision of some form of dental care to patients during the ongoing pandemic as opposed to no care at all.Copyright © The Author(s) 2022.

Can COVID-19 cause sudden sensorineural hearing loss?

Introduction Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is defined as a hearing loss occurred within 3 days with decreasing of hearing level at least 30 dB in as a minimum three frequencies. The exact etiology and pathology of SSNHL is still unknown and the causes can be identified in only 10 to 15 percent of diagnosed cases. Methods Goal: To study the correlation of SSNHL and Covid-19 infections. We selected 10 patients who came to our clinic with SSNHL and who recently recovered from Covid-19 infection. They were admitted to clinic on 20-25th days of their COVID-19 infection, all selected patients were received remdesivir, intravenous steroids and plasma exchange to treat their COVID-19 infection and clinically improved. During 1-3 weeks of the treatment their noticed left-sided tinnitus and SSNHL. They all had no previous ear pathology. Results On ear examination external auditory canal canals and tympanic membranes are normal, were found negative Rinne's test on left side and Weber's test lateralising to the opposite side, tympanogram type A, no acoustic reflexes on left ear. When performed laboratory tests after 2 months of post-onset of SSNHL in all patients were found a positive COVID-19 IgG antibodies which showing initial time of SSNHL incidence. Such as, was not found any other risk factors for evolving SSNHL except Covid-19, so we came to conclusion, that the patient's SSNHL is complication of COVID-19 infection and probably this infection can cause unilateral intralabyrinthine or intracochlear hemorrhage, damages the inner ear's delicate hair cells and/or the blood supply.

A rare case of external ear canal stenosis caused by COVID-19-related arterial thrombosis.

Thrombosis is a characteristic symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we present a case of external ear stenosis caused by arterial thrombosis after COVID-19 infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of external ear stenosis related to COVID-19. A 62-year-old man presented with left hearing loss. The patient had a history of hospitalization for COVID-19 treatment 11 months prior to visiting our hospital. He had been experiencing ear fullness and tinnitus after COVID-19 treatment. Physical examination revealed severe left external ear canal stenosis with a subcutaneous mass. Surgical removal of the subcutaneous mass was performed. Histopathological analysis revealed that a subcutaneous thrombosis caused the external ear canal stenosis. This case describes an unusual case of external ear canal stenosis after COVID-19. Clinical and pathological findings indicate that COVID-19 affected the external ear canal. In addition, histopathological results confirmed the formation of arterial thrombosis in the temporal bone region after COVID-19 treatment. This case shows the broad range of body sites that can be involved with thrombotic events with COVID including the subcutaneous tissue around the outer ear. This observation would be helpful in investigating or explaining the various otological symptoms of COVID-19.

Training in endoscopic ear surgery using the papaya petiole.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ear surgery is a game changer in the field of otology. Training in endoscopic skills is essential for ENT residents, and is especially important during the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown period. In such difficult times, ENT residents and surgeons can undergo hands-on training using a papaya petiole, even within their homes. OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic ear surgery training can be carried out using a papaya petiole, enabling the practice of grommet insertion, tympanomeatal flap elevation and foreign body removal from the external auditory canal. This model does not need any laboratory setup. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The hollow structure of the papaya petiole model is very similar to that of the external auditory canal, making training in endoscopic ear surgery easy. Use of the model helps a beginner to train in endoscopic handling and microsurgical instrumentation, and improves depth perception. In addition, it does not require high-end facilities to store equipment or undertake the training at any given point in time.

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in the Cerumen of COVID-19-Positive Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the cerumen of patients with COVID-19. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care pandemic hospital. Sixty COVID-19 patients with cerumen in their external auditory canals were included in the study. Swabs were taken from the external auditory canal of the patients by an experienced otolaryngologist with the test swab. Sampling was done by rotating the sample swab 360° 10 times in each external auditory canal for a total of 20 times. After collection, swabs were placed into 2 mL of the sterile viral transport medium (various manufacturers), then transported and tested as soon as possible after collection. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in the cerumen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) samples of any of the 60 patients with positive nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs. CONCLUSION: Cerumen cleaning is one of the most common procedures performed by otolaryngologists, and care should be taken during the procedure or due to the possibility of infection from the resulting contaminants. The cerumen contains the secretions of the glands in the external auditory canal and may contain certain pathogens that are actively found in the body. The presence of hepatitis B virus in the cerumen was examined and isolated in the cerumen. In our study, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the cerumen was evaluated in SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients. SARS-CoV-2 virus was not detected in the cerumen samples of any of the patients.