Further observations on hydrogen peroxide antisepsis and COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers and inpatients.

BACKGROUND: The use of prophylactic antisepsis to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been suggested. This study investigated hydrogen peroxide antisepsis (HPA) at two hospitals in Ghana. METHODS: Cases of COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs) using hydrogen peroxide (HP-HCWs) or not using hydrogen peroxide (NHP-HCWs), vaccinated or unvaccinated, were recorded at Shai-Osudoku Hospital (SODH), Dodowa, and Mount Olives Hospital (MOH), Techiman, between May 2020 and December 2021. The effect of HPA in all inpatients at MOH was also observed. Permutation tests were used to determine P values. FINDINGS: At SODH, there were 62 (13.5%) cases of COVID-19 among 458 NHP-HCWs but no cases among eight HP-HCWs (P=0.622) from May to December 2020. Between January and March 2021, 10 (2.7%) of 372 NHP-HCWs had COVID-19, but there were no cases among 94 HP-HCWs (P=0.206). At MOH, prior to HPA, 17 (20.2%) of 84 HCWs and five (1.4%) of 370 inpatients had COVID-19 in July 2020. From August 2020 to March 2021, two of 54 (3.7%) HCWs who stopped HPA had COVID-19; none of 32 NHP-HCWs contracted COVID-19. At SODH, none of 23 unvaccinated HP-HCWs and 35 (64%) of 55 unvaccinated NHP-HCWs had COVID-19 from April to December 2021 (P<0.0001). None of 34 vaccinated HP-HCWs and 53 (13.6%) of 390 vaccinated NHP-HCWs had COVID-19 (P=0.015). No inpatients on prophylactic HPA (total 7736) contracted COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Regular, daily HPA protects HCWs from COVID-19, and curtails nosocomial spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Cephalometric evaluation of hyoid bone position in subjects with different vertical dental patterns.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between hyoid position and vertical dental dimensions (overbite), and the influence of gender on the location of this bone. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-four standardized lateral cephalometric radiographs were randomly selected from a pool of radiographs of patients seeking orthodontic treatment with ages ranging from 10 to 58 years. The subjects were divided into three groups according to their vertical dental dimensions (overbite) into reduced, normal, and increased overbite groups. The hyoid bone position was determined by four horizontal linear and three vertical linear line measurements. Associations between the position of the bone and different vertical dental patterns were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison analysis. RESULTS: There was a progressive increase in the horizontal linear position of the hyoid bone parameters across the groups from the reduced through normal to increase overbite. Similarly, a statistical reduction in the vertical linear positions of the hyoid bone parameters was found across the groups from reduced overbite through normal overbite to increased overbite (P < 0.05). The vertical linear hyoid bone positions were located higher in the male than in female subjects. Tukey's multiple comparison analysis showed a highly statistically significant difference in the vertical linear hyoid bone positions between reduced and normal overbite groups and between reduced and increased overbite groups. CONCLUSION: The hyoid bone was positioned more antero-inferiorly and more postero-superiorly in subjects with reduced overbite and increased overbite, respectively.

The Orthodontic Management of an Adult with Sickle Cell Disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by abnormally shaped red cells. SCD frequently exhibits multisystemic manifestations including oral and craniofacial disorders. Craniofacial features such as maxillary protrusion and more forward growth of the mandible with significantly retruded maxillary and mandibular incisors are common. When a patient with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) needs orthodontic treatment, it is important for the practitioner involved to know about the disease and the respective treatment because of the importance of complete blood supply after application of intraoral and extraoral forces. This article describes a sickle cell HbSS patient with orthodontic problems and how she was successfully managed at the University of Ghana Dental School.

A study of cephalometric soft tissue profile among adolescents from the three West African countries of Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal.

BACKGROUND: Since the introduction of cephalometry, numerous studies have established normal values for Caucasian populations. In Africa, most investigations have established norms and ethnic variations associated with the skeletal pattern. To date, there has been no study comparing soft tissue patterns among adolescents in the West African sub-region. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this investigation was to determine and compare soft tissue patterns among 12- to 16-year-old Nigerian, Ghanaian and Senegalese adolescents, establish any gender dimorphism and compare them with published Caucasian norms. METHODOLOGY: Lateral cephalometric radiographs of adolescents with a normal incisor relationship aged between 12 and 16 years from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal were taken under standardized conditions and traced to determine soft tissue patterns. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The total sample consisted of 165 females and 135 males with a mean age of 13·96 (1·58) years. A number of soft tissue parameters showed significant differences (P<0·05). These included comparison between males and females, and Nigerian, Ghanaian and Senegalese, including lip separation, upper lip length, upper lip exposure, Li-esthetic line, lower lip-NP, nasal tip angle, N-Pr-Pg, Pg-Ls, B-N pogonion and pogonion-mandibular angle. Differences also existed between these West African soft tissue values and published Caucasian norms, including nasolabial angle, mentolabial angle, nasal depth, nose tip, total soft tissue facial convexity and nasal depth angle. CONCLUSIONS: The comparative analysis of soft tissue patterns among 12- to 16-year-old adolescents from Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal demonstrated statistically significant differences in soft tissue value between these West African adolescents and published Caucasian soft tissue norms. This study provides useful data in relation to soft tissue parameters for subjects originating from the West African sub-region.