Mouth shield to minimize airborne transmission risk of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in the dental office.

Transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and other infectious diseases is a significant risk during dental procedures because most dental interventions involve aerosols or droplets that could contaminate the surrounding environment. Current protection guidelines to address the high risk of droplets, aerosols, and airborne particle transmission of COVID-19 in the dental office recommend minimizing aerosol-generating procedures. In this paper, an innovative mouth shield is presented that should minimize water backsplash from the air-water syringe during dental treatment. The mouth shield can be added to the personal protective equipment to provide the dental team with extra protection. It can be made of different materials, is straightforward, inexpensive, and safe to fabricate, and is easy to use.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Associated With Vaccine Inequity Among Healthcare Workers in a Low-Income Fragile Nation.

Objectives: Preventing severe disease and acquiring population immunity to COVID-19 requires global immunization coverage through mass vaccination. While high-income countries are battling vaccine hesitancy, low-income and fragile nations are facing the double dilemma of vaccine hesitancy and lack of access to vaccines. There is inadequate information on any correlation between vaccine hesitancy and access to vaccines. Our study in a low-income nation aimed to fill this gap. Methods: In the backdrop of a severe shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in Yemen, a low-income fragile nation, we conducted a nation-wide cross-sectional survey among its healthcare workers (HCWs), between 6 July and 10 August 2021. We evaluated factors influencing agreement to accept a COVID-19 vaccine and any potential correlation between vaccine acceptance and lack of access to vaccines. Results: Overall, 61.7% (n = 975) of the 1,581 HCWs agreed to accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Only 45.4% of the participants agreed to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine, with no sex dependent variations. Although several determinants of vaccine acceptance were identified, including, having a systemic disease, following the updates about COVID-19 vaccines, complying with preventive guidelines, having greater anxiety about contracting COVID-19, previous infection with COVID-19, believing COVID-19 to be a severe disease, and lower concern about the side effects of COVID-19, the strongest was access to vaccines (OR: 3.18; 95% CI: 2.5-4.03; p-value: 0.001). Conclusion: The immediate and more dangerous threat in Yemen toward achieving population immunity is the severe shortage and lack of access to vaccines, rather than vaccine hesitancy, meaning, improving access to vaccines could lead to greater acceptance.

Immediate and 24-hour bond strengths of two dental adhesive systems to three tooth substrates.

Bond strengths of bonded composite resins to tooth substrates vary depending on when they were measured. Most bond strengths reported in the literature are a result of one hour, 24-hour, or longer periods of time that do not simulate actual clinical practice when occlusal adjustment and finishing and polishing procedures are performed within seconds after restoration placement. There are many different ways to measure the bond strength of direct esthetic restorations to various dental substrates. This research uses a method published previously that compares immediate and 24-hour bond strengths of a single-bottle dental adhesive and a self-etching primer adhesive to prepared enamel, unprepared enamel, and prepared dentin substrates. Significant differences were found between immediate and 24-hour bond strengths, but there were essentially no differences between substrates or adhesives.

Method for immediate measurement of in vitro bond strength of bonded direct esthetic restorations.

There are many different ways to measure the bond strength of direct esthetic restorations to various dental substrates. Unfortunately, most methods cannot measure bond strengths immediately after a restoration has been placed. This lack of clinically-relevant information seriously affects the clinician's ability to select and use various bonding agents and procedures. The aim of this article is to provide a very detailed method for immediate measurement of in vitro bond strengths of direct bonded esthetic restorations. It focuses on the steps that should be taken to select and prepare various tooth substrates for bond strength testing, the steps to "restore" various tooth substrates, and to measure the immediate in vitro bond strength. A fundamental understanding of a standardized testing protocol should provide clinicians with a clearer appreciation of bond strengths associated with various bonding procedures.