Efficacy of commercial mouth-rinses on SARS-CoV-2 viral load in saliva: Randomized Control Trial in Singapore

The presence of high SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) titres in saliva may result in transmission of the virus and increase the risk of COVID-19 infection. This is particularly important as significant amounts of aerosols are generated during dental procedures, posing risk to dental care personnel and patients. Thus, reducing the titres of SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva of infected patients could be one of the key approaches to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission during dental procedures. In this randomised control trial, the efficacy of three commercial mouth-rinse viz. povidone-iodine (PI), chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), in reducing the salivary SARS-CoV-2 viral load in COVID-19 positive patients were compared with water. A total of 36 COVID-19 positive patients were recruited, of which 16 patients were randomly assigned to four groups-- PI group (n=4), CHX group (n=6), CPC group (n=4) and water as control group (n=2). Saliva samples were collected from all patients at baseline and at 5 min, 3 h and 6 h post-application of mouth-rinses/water. The samples were subjected to SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR analysis. The fold change of Ct values were significantly increased in CPC group at 5 minutes and 6 h time points (p<0.05), while it showed significant increase at 6 h time point for PI group (p<0.01). Considering Ct values as an indirect method of arbitrarily quantifying the viral load, it can be postulated that CPC mouth-rinse can decrease the salivary SARS-CoV-2 levels within 5 minutes of use, compared to water rinsing. The effect of decreasing salivary load with CPC and PI mouth-rinsing was observed to be sustained at 6 h time point. Within the limitation of the current study, it can be concluded that use of CPC and PI formulated commercial mouth-rinses, with its sustained effect on reducing salivary SARS-CoV-2 level, may be useful as a pre-procedural rinse to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

Three-dimensional imaging of progressive facial hemiatrophy (Parry-Romberg syndrome) with unusual conjunctival findings

Progressive hemifacial atrophy, also known as Parry-Romberg syndrome, is an uncommon degenerative condition which is poorly defined. It is characterized by a slow and progressive atrophy affecting one side of the face. The onset usually occurs during the first two decades of life. Characteristically, the atrophy progresses slowly for several years, and then it becomes stable. Ophthalmic involvement is common, with progressive enophthalmos which is a frequent finding. Cutaneous pigmentation is common in such conditions, however its extension to the conjunctiva is rarely reported. We report a case of Parry Romberg syndrome with characteristic clinical and radiographic presentation accompanied with rare ocular findings. The clinical features, radiological findings, and differential diagnoses to be considered, and the available treatment options are discussed in this report.