Perceptions and conducts of oral and maxillofacial surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are among the frontline healthcare workers and are classified as a high-risk group for COVID-19 infection; however, it has not yet been defined how these professionals were impacted. The aim of this study was to explore the conducts and perceptions of oral and maxillofacial surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Nine individuals, mean age 34.8 years, 66.6% men, were included in the study. A semi-structured interview with a qualitative approach was applied to professionals belonging to a messaging application group (WhatsApp). Content analysis was performed in the light of Hellerian theory in its daily theoretical framework for the interpretation of the memories reported by the participants. Four themes were identified. The lack of knowledge about COVID-19 and the fear of being contaminated during care were the main factors responsible for changes in the professionals' work routine. An important point was the collective reflection of the participants about the increase in biosafety barriers, which ensured a greater sense of security. The need for social isolation to contain the virus was also described. As a result, there was a great distance between professionals and their families, which generated high levels of anxiety in the former. Repetitive reports of slowness and reduced attendance directly related to financial loss and aggravated stress were also highlighted. The findings of this study reveal that oral and maxillofacial surgeons had their professional-personal axis affected in terms of daily habits, family life and financial strain, aspects that were responsible for impacting stress and anxiety levels.

Microvascular reconstructions in oral and maxillofacial surgery - Results of a survey among oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of microvascular free flaps (MFF) in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A dynamic online questionnaire, using 42-46 questions, was sent to OMF surgeons based in hospitals in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The questionnaire was evaluated internally and externally. Aside from general information, data were collected on organizational aspects, approaches, MFF types and frequency, presurgical planning, intraoperative procedures, perioperative medications, flap monitoring, and patient management. Participants mostly performed 30-40 MFF each year (11/53). Most stated that the COVID-19 pandemic did influence MFF frequency (25/53) to varying extents. Radial forearm flap was most frequently used (37/53), followed by ALT (5/53), and fibula flap (5/53). Primary reconstruction was performed by most participants (35/48). Irradiated bony transplants were mostly used for implant placement after 12 months (23/48). Most participants (38/48) used reconstruction plates, followed by miniplates (36/48), PSI reconstruction (31/48), and PSI miniplates (10/48). Regarding the postoperative use of anticoagulants, low-molecular-weight (37/48) and unfractioned heparins (15/48) were widely used, most often for 3-7 days (26/48). Clinical evaluation was mostly preferred for flap monitoring (47/48), usually every 2 h (34/48), for at least 48 h (19/48). Strong heterogeneity in MFF reconstructions in OMFS was found, especially regarding the timepoints of reconstruction, types of osteosynthesis, and postoperative MFF management. These findings provide the chance to further compare the different treatment algorithms regarding relevant MFF aspects, such as postoperative management. This could create evidence-based treatment algorithms that will further improve the clinical outcomes in MFF reconstructions.

Should anosmia and dysgeusia be a concern for oral and maxillofacial surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic?

PURPOSE: Dysgeusia and anosmia have been liked to COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study is to study the prevalence of dysgeusia and anosmia in COVID-19 patients treated at the University of Florida Health Center and establish the odds of having an olfactory and gustatory disorder with a confirmed COVID-19 infection. METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study utilizing the University of Florida Health Center patients' registry i2b2 platform to search for ICD 10 diagnoses of COVID-19 infection and taste and smell disturbances. We assessed the odds ratio for patients with dysgeusia and anosmia having a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection using a logistic regression model adjusting for gender, race, age, and comorbidity conditions. P < 0.05 was deemed significant. RESULTS: Out of 889 individuals that tested positive for COVID-19, 12.88% were diagnosed with taste and smell disturbances. The odds ratio for COVID-19 for people with dysgeusia and anosmia was 39.107. After adjusting for sex, age, and race, it was 41.9, 37, and 34.2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Taste and smell disturbances in COVID-19 are not anecdotal. It is paramount that oral and maxillofacial surgeons include taste and smell disturbances in the history and physical examination as these symptoms are suspicious of active COVID-19 infection. Patients presenting with an olfactory and gustatory disorder should undergo further evaluations for COVID-19 infection and oral and maxillofacial surgeons should enhance the personal protective equipment used when treating these patients to prevent further spread of the infection and protect other healthcare members.

Long-Term Complications of Coronavirus Disease 2019; What the Oral Surgeon Needs To Know.

ABSTRACT: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 manifests mainly as respiratory symptoms. Extrapulmonary manifestations have also been detected and several vital organs may sustain irreversible or long-standing damage. These extrapulmonary manifestations can be detected in cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, and hematologic systems. Maxillofacial surgeons may encounter patients who have recovered from COVID-19 but are still suffering long-term morbidities as a result of this incompletely understood infection. Consequently, they have to be aware of the various systemic complications that may be encountered in these patients as they may interfere with their treatment plan or may necessitate certain modifications and precautions.In this report the authors present the long-standing systemic complications of COVID-19 reported so far, and discuss their implications within the context of maxillofacial surgery with regards to the modifications and precautions in the process of treatment planning.Graphical abstract shows the long-term complications of COVID-19 that may complicate maxillofacial surgical procedures.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Professional Career of Women in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

The COVID-19 pandemic altered all facets of society on a fundamental level, impacting work, mental health, and family life. Female surgeons experienced gender inequity and bias before COVID; therefore, women in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) were affected disproportionately by the repercussions of the pandemic. Well-established inequalities are intensified during times of crisis. This article enlightens readers regarding the preexisting inequalities in the OMS specialty, how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these ubiquitous issues, and how the specialty should accommodate these inequities moving forward.

Providing national level teaching to OMFS specialty trainees in a virtual classroom setting using learning theories of education.

COVID-19 has resulted in an expansion of webinar-based teaching globally. Socially distanced e-learning is the new normal. The delivery of regional OMFS teaching programmes in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, for Specialty Trainees (ST's) under the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) and Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP) umbrellas is variable. We recognised the need to provide additional teaching to supplement this teaching, at a time of crisis in our countries and healthcare systems, which had jointly led to a significant impact on the progression of training. The membership category of Specialty Trainees within the national specialty association-the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) is Fellows in Training abbreviated to FiT. We designed an OMFS FiT (Fellows in Training) webinar series based on the current Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) curriculum. Senior trainers delivered weekly national web-based teaching using learning theories of education. Thirteen webinars were conducted between the 14th of May and the 4th of August 2020. Webinars were attended by 40-75 ST's with 98 percent of trainees rating the webinars as 'excellent' or 'very good', and 99% found the content 'extremely useful' or 'very useful'. We discuss the learning theories used for this teaching which include - Bloom's taxonomy, Bruner's spiral model, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, the flipped classroom model, and Knowles' andragogy model. This pilot national teaching programme has been extremely well received by OMFS trainees and is here to stay!

Protective Face Masks: Effect on the Oxygenation and Heart Rate Status of Oral Surgeons during Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Safety in medical work requires eye protection, such as glasses, and protective facial masks (PFM) during clinical practice to prevent viral respiratory infections. The use of facial masks and other full personal protective equipment increases air flow resistance, facial skin temperature and physical discomfort. The aim of the present study was to measure surgeons' oxygenation status and discomfort before and after their daily routine activities of oral interventions. METHODS: 10 male voluntary dentists, specializing in oral surgery, and 10 male voluntary doctors in dentistry, participating in master's courses in oral surgery in the Department of Oral Surgery of the University of Chieti, with mean age 29 ± 6 (27-35), were enrolled. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of wearing a PFM on oxygenation status while the oral surgeons were actively working. Disposable sterile one-way surgical paper masks (Surgical Face Mask, Euronda, Italy) and FFP2 (Surgical Face Mask, Euronda, Italy) were used and the mask position covering the nose did not vary during the procedures. The FFP2 was covered by a surgical mask during surgical treatment. A pulse oximeter was used to measure the blood oximetry saturation during the study. RESULTS: In all 20 surgeons wearing FFP2 covered by surgical masks, a reduction in arterial O2 saturation from around 97.5% before surgery to 94% after surgery was recorded with increase of heart rates. A shortness of breath and light-headedness/headaches were also noted. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, wearing an FFP2 covered by a surgical mask induces a reduction in circulating O2 concentrations without clinical relevance, while an increase of heart frequency and a sensation of shortness of breath, light-headedness/headaches were recorded.

Knowledge of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among dental surgeons of Nepal: a nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus. There is not much evidence assessing the knowledge of dental surgeons regarding COVID-19. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge of COVID-19 among dental surgeons of Nepal. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among registered dental surgeons of Nepal. Ethical approval was obtained. Consent was taken, and knowledge on COVID-19 was assessed via a pre-tested structured questionnaire using Google form. The form was emailed to the participants. Descriptive analysis was performed using frequency, percentage, median and inter-quartile range. Man-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were carried out to see the difference in knowledge score. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Total 227 dental surgeons responded to the questionnaire (male: 46.4%; female: 53.7%). Almost two-third ( 65.2% ) of the respondents were B.D.S. (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) graduates. Only 29.1% worked in the government hospitals. 17.6% were currently involved in COVID-19 management. Of the participants, 87.7% knew about the condition of the requirement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) but only 29.1% could correctly answer the framed question for PPE. The median knowledge score calculated was 14.0 (8.0-18.0). The bivariate analysis showed a statistically significant difference in knowledge score among the age group ≥30 years and < 30 years (p = 0.013); M.D.S. (Master of Dental Surgery) graduate and B.D.S. graduate (0.041); dental surgeons of government healthcare facilities and other healthcare facilities (p <  0.001); dental surgeons of COVID-19 centers and non-COVID-19 centers (0.002). CONCLUSION: The dental surgeons of Nepal have a good knowledge of COVID-19, and they can be utilized for assisting in the management of COVID-19 cases in Nepal.

The Early Effects of Coronavirus Disease-2019 on Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction Practice: A National Survey of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Enrolled in the Head and Neck Special Interest Group.

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected healthcare systems across the nation. The purpose of this study is to gauge the early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on head and neck oncology and reconstructive surgery (HNORS) practice and evaluate their practice patterns especially ones that might be impacted by COVID-19 and compare them to the current literature. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study that surveyed fellowship-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons in HNORS. This cohort of surgeons was contacted via a generated email list of surgeons enrolled in the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons pathology special interest group. An electronic survey contained 16 questions to assess the COVID-19 effect on HNORS practice and capture their practice patterns from mid-March to mid-April 2020. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze counts, percentages, and response rates. RESULTS: We had a 60% response rate (39 of 64); 72% of our responders worked at academic institutions, 18% marked themselves as hybrid academic/private practice, and only 10% were considered hospital-based surgeons. Only 8% of the survey respondents were requested to pause head and neck cancer surgery, whereas 24% were requested to pause free flap surgery during the pandemic. Fifty-five percent agreed that the head and neck and reconstructive surgery should be conducted during a pandemic. Finally, 45% thought that two weeks was a reasonable delay for head and neck cancer cases, whereas 29% thought they should not be delayed for any amount of time. Regarding practice patterns, microvascular reconstruction was the favored method (100%). Respondents generally admitted patients to an intensive care unit postoperatively (92%) and were kept on a ventilator (53%). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a small impact on the surgical treatment of patients with head and neck oncology. Most HNORS surgeons are practicing in accordance with recently published literature.

What Do We Know About COVID-19?: Maxillofacial Surgeons Survey.

Coronavírus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus of mass dissemination, with an impact on international public health, leading to hospitalizations and death. The main symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, fatigue, dry cough; however, myalgia and dyspnea and the transmission routes include direct transmission by cough, sneeze, droplet inhalation, or contact transmission with the oral, nasal, or eye mucous membranes. The dental professionals are the main risk group to COVID-19 due to the transmission routes that are directly related to the dental practice. In addition, the oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS) are even more exposed, due to increased contact with the population in hospitals and emergency services. OMFS should be able to identify a suspected case of COVID-19, its symptoms, risk groups, disease severity, laboratorial and computed tomography alterations, and treatment guidelines. In the present study, the authors performed a nationwide survey with Brazilian OMFS to evaluate the knowledge of these professionals about the pandemic status of the COVID-19. A total of 142 OMFS replied the survey and the results brings light to an incomparable health public problem that the OMFS in Brazil are no able to protect itself, diagnose the suspicious and probable cases, request and interpret the correct laboratorial examinations for the treatment of the COVID-19 patients.

Optimizing telemedicine encounters for oral and maxillofacial surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed conventional patterns of medical practice across all health disciplines, including oral and maxillofacial surgery. The use of telemedicine has rapidly expanded to uphold safety strategies of physical distancing and disease transmission reduction while maintaining uninterrupted care of patients. To date, there are no specific guidelines to optimize telemedicine encounters in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The goal of this article is to provide best practices for both oral and maxillofacial surgeons and their patients to effectively use telemedicine for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Considerations for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in COVID-19 Era: Can We Sustain the Solutions to Keep Our Patients and Healthcare Personnel Safe?

Several uncertainties exist regarding how we will conduct our clinical, didactic, business, and social activities as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic abates and social distancing guidelines are relaxed. We anticipate changes in how we interact with our patients and other providers, how patient workflow is designed, the methods used to conduct our teaching sessions, and how we perform procedures in different clinical settings. The objective of the present report is to review some of the changes to consider in the clinical and academic oral and maxillofacial surgery workflow and, allow for a smoother transition, with less risk to our patients and healthcare personnel. New infection control policies should be strictly enforced and monitored in all clinical and nonclinical settings, with an overall goal to decrease the risk of exposure and transmission. Screening for COVID-19 symptoms, testing when indicated, and establishing the epidemiologic linkage will be crucial to containing and preventing new COVID-19 cases until a vaccine or an alternate solution is available. Additionally, the shortage of essential supplies such as drugs and personal protective equipment, the design and ventilation of workspaces and waiting areas, the increase in overhead costs, and the possible absence of staff, if quarantine is necessary, must be considered. This shift in our workflow and patient care paths will likely continue in the short-term at least through 2021 or the next 12 to 24 months. Thus, we must prioritize surgery, balancing patient preferences and healthcare personnel risks. We have an opportunity now to make changes and embrace telemedicine and other collaborative virtual platforms for teaching and clinical care. It is crucial that we maintain COVID-19 awareness, proper surveillance in our microenvironments, good clinical judgment, and ethical values to continue to deliver high-quality, economical, and accessible patient care.