The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the paralysis of dental services ascribed to the potential spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2. Aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) are common in dentistry, which in turn increase the risk of infection of the dental personnel due to the salivary presence of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients. The use of rubber dam isolation (RDI) and high-volume evacuators (HVE) during AGPs is recommended to control dental aerosols, but the evidence about their effectiveness is scarce. This first study aimed to compare, in a simulated patient, the effectiveness of the following strategies: standard suction (SS), RDI and RDI + HVE. Using the laser diffraction technique, the effect of each condition on the volume distribution, average size and concentration of coarse (PM₁₀), fine (PM_2.5) and ultrafine (PM_0.1) particles were evaluated. During the teeth drilling, the highest volume fraction of dental aerosol particles with SS was below 1 μm of aerodynamic diameter. Additionally, the RDI + HVE significantly reduced both the ultrafine dental aerosol particles and the concentration of total particulate matter. AGPs represent a potential risk for airborne infections in dentistry. Taken together, these preliminary results suggest that isolation and high-volume suction are effective to reduce ultrafine dental aerosol particles.

Periodontal diseases are highly prevalent globally, and represent a significant public health burden that could affect the quality of life in Latin American and in Caribbean countries and territories. The primary objective is to explore the existing research and epidemiological studies on the burden of periodontal diseases, particularly their impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and associations with systemic health conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). An electronic literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, and Web of Science, without publication date or language limitations, up until December 2023. Reviewers independently assessed titles and abstracts based on the eligibility criteria. The search yielded 1195 articles, with 63 meeting the inclusion criteria. The results of epidemiological studies showed that periodontitis is extremely prevalent at 90% in LAC; severe periodontitis can affect nearly 10% of the adult population and that periodontitis is aggravated by smoking, poverty, low education level, and limited access to proper dental care. Periodontitis was consistently associated with worse OHRQoL; and causing pain, and/or triggering psychological discomfort, physical disability, and social disability. Associations were also reported between periodontitis and comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory disease, mental illness, and adverse pregnancy outcomes that are also affecting the quality of life of individuals and their families. This scoping review offers a thorough examination of the burden of periodontal diseases in LAC and highlights the significant public health concern that it represents for the region.

Objective: Describes dental, occlusal, and craniofacial characteristics of 3 children aged 3 to 4 years with microcephaly due to congenital Zika infection in Cali Valle del Cauca, 2020. Design: Three children case report with congenital Zika virus microcephaly. Setting: Institutional Patients: Three children with maternal viral infection confirmed by polymerase chain reaction during first trimester of pregnancy were included and were born from 2016 to 2017. Interventions: Oral and mouth functional examination was performed including soft tissue examination; lingual and labial frenulum; evaluation of swallowing and chewing; craniofacial analysis; dimension of dental arch; intercanine and intermolar distance, palate form; relationship and growth of maxilla, mandible, and facial dental midline using plaster models; and complementary image analysis. Main Outcome Measures: Child and mother sociodemographic features, craniofacial measurements; dental and oral features; maxillary and mandibular measures; and speech, swallowing, and chewing disorders. Results: Small head circumference at birth and at the time of clinical evaluation was compared to normal children of approximately their age. Upper third of the face was short, and presence of hypertonic masticatory muscles with hypotonic swallowing muscles, dysphagia, dyslalia, bruxism, lip incompetence, tongue interposition, and hypersalivation and epilepsy were the main medical problem. They have complete primary dentition with normal dental morphology, tooth eruption altered, dental caries, and dental malocclusion was identified. Conclusion: There are no changes in the dental formula and dental morphology in the deciduous dentition. They present severe chewing and speaking limitation, facial disproportion, and occlusal problems that warrant dental and medical attention.

Objective: Zika virus infection has been associated to congenital zika syndrome (CZS) in newborns and is characterized by microcephaly, central/axial motor and sensory dysfunction, dysphagia among other previously described severe health complications. CZS is usually diagnosed postpartum by evident/apparent neural development problems. Although there are some reports of craniofacial/dentition development in CZS, several clinical oral aspects are still unknown. This study describes some structural and functional characteristics of facial and cranial growth and deciduous dentition in CZS-affected children. Material and methods: Some cranial, facial and dental characteristics were determined in 14 children with CZS aged 3–5 years and compared them against 12 apparently healthy children paired by age and gender. Results: Fourteen CZS cases presented microcephaly, maxillary prognathism, altered facial thirds, asymmetric pupillary line, bruxism (p = 0.006), deep and anterior open bite and distal step decidual molar relationship (p = 0.031). CZS children cannot feed by themselves and most cannot walk and have not develop coordinated and intelligible language according to their chronological age. In contrast, controls presented normal skull features, have autonomous locomotion skills, speak intelligible language, feed by themselves, presented a harmonic intermaxillary relationship and have symmetrical facial thirds. Conclusion: Microcephaly, dysphagia, bruxism, mandibular retrognathia, altered facial proportions and malocclusion are the main craniofacial and oral features at CZS. Clinical relevance: The complications of CZS including those related with the face and the oral cavity are still being identified. This study revealed some cranial, facial and oral features in children affected by CSZ. Interdisciplinary rehabilitation protocols must address these syndromic features that could improve children and parents living conditions.