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Biological and social aspects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) related to oral health
Por: Luciano José Pereira; Cassio Vicente Pereira; Ramiro Mendonça Murata; Vanessa Pardi; Stela Márcia Pereira-Dourado
Autor contato: Luciano José Pereira (lucianojosepereira@ufla.br)
Resumo
The expansion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
throughout the world has alarmed all health professionals. Especially
in dentistry, there is a growing concern due to it’s high virulence
and routes of transmission through saliva aerosols. The virus keeps
viable on air for at least 3 hours and on plastic and stainless-steel
surfaces up to 72 hours. In this sense, dental offices, both in the public and private sectors, are high-risk settings of cross infection among patients, dentists and health professionals in the clinical environment (including hospital’s intensive dental care facilities). This manuscript aims to compile current available evidence on prevention strategies for dental professionals. Besides, we briefly describe promising treatment strategies recognized until this moment. The purpose is to clarify dental practitioners about the virus history and microbiology, besides guiding on how to proceed during emergency consultations based on international documents. Dentists should consider that a substantial number of individuals (including children) who do not show any signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may be infected and can disseminate the virus. Currently, there is no effective treatment and fast diagnosis is still a challenge. All elective dental treatments and non-essential procedures should be postponed, keeping only urgent and emergency visits to the dental office. The use of teledentistry (phone calls, text messages) is a very promising tool to keep contact with the patient without being at risk of infection.
Palavras-chave: Coronavirus, Public Health, Practice Management, Dental, Infections, Dentistry
Publicado em: Brazilian Oral Research (2020)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107bor-2020.vol34.0041
Lifestyle and eating habits before and during COVID-19 quarantine in Brazil
Por: Tamires Cássia de Melo Souza; Lívya Alves Oliveira; Marina Martins Daniel; Lívia Garcia Ferreira; Ceres Mattos Della Lucia; Juliana Costa Liboredo; Lucilene Rezende Anastácio
Autor contato: Lívia Garcia Ferreira (livia.ferreira@ufla.br)
Resumo
Objective: To assess changes in daily habits, food choices, and lifestyle of adult Brazilians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: This observational study was carried out with Brazilian adults through an online questionnaire five months after the social distance measures implementation. The McNemar, McNemar-Bowker, and Wilcoxon tests were used to investigate differences before and during the COVID pandemic period, adopting the statistical significance of p <0.05. Setting: Brazil. Participants: 1,368 volunteers aged 18+ years. Results: The volunteers reported a lower frequency of breakfast, morning, and lunch snacks (p<0.05) and a higher frequency of evening snacks and other meal categories during the pandemic period (p<0.05). The results showed an increase in the consumption of bakery products, instant meals and fast-food, while the consumption of vegetables and fruits decreased (p<0.005). There was a significant increase in the frequency of consumption of alcoholic beverages (p<0.001), but a reduction in the dose (p<0.001); increased frequency of smoking (p=0.007); an increase in sleep and screen time in hours, and decrease in physical activity (p<0.001). Conclusions: It was possible to observe an increase in screen time, hours of sleep, smoking, and drinking frequency. On the other hand, there was a reduction in the dose of alcoholic beverages but also in the practice of physical activity. Eating habits also changed, reducing the performance of daytime meals and increasing the performance of nighttime meals. The frequency of consumption of instant meals and fast-food has increased, while consumption of fruits and vegetables has decreased.
Palavras-chave: coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, food choices, alcohol use, smoking, lockdown
Publicado em: Public Health Nutrition (2021)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898002100255X
Perceived fear of COVID-19 infection according to sex, age and occupational risk using the Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale
Por: Eric Francelino Andrade; Luciano José Pereira; Ana Paula Luiz de Oliveira; Débora Ribeiro Orlando; Débora Almeida Galdino Alves; Janina de Sales Guilarducci; Paula Midori Castelo
Autor contato: Luciano José Pereira (lucianojosepereira@ufla.br)
Resumo
We investigated the fear of COVID-19 infection after proper translation and cultural adaptation of the “Fear of COVID-19 Scale” to the Brazilian Portuguese language. A sample of 1,743 Brazilian participants were included. The scale showed excellent psychometric characteristics. Women showed higher anxiety levels. Fear of COVID-19 scores were lower in males with occupational risk of contamination. On the other hand, women and younger individuals showed higher fear of COVID-19 infection scores. The Brazilian Fear of COVID-19 Scale proved to be a reliable tool with excellent psychometric properties for identifying fear of COVID-19 infection in the Brazilian population.
Publicado em: Death Studies (2020)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1809786
Quality of life, physical activity and burnout syndrome during online learning period in Brazilian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cluster analysis.
Por: Diana Vilela Azzi; Júlia Melo; Armindo de Arruda Campos Neto; Paula Midori Castelo; Eric Francelino Andrade; Luciano José Pereira
Autor contato: Luciano José Pereira (lucianojosepereira@ufla.br)
Resumo
The COVID-19 pandemic caused several changes in the teaching-learning process, as it abruptly replaced the conventional classes into online classes despite social distancing requirements. Such changes may be associated with several mental health problems and negatively affect the quality of life and academic performance of university students. We performed a cluster analysis in a large sample of Brazilian undergraduate students, considering sociodemographic data, physical activity frequency, study areas, Burnout Syndrome (BS), Quality of Life (QoL) and perception of online learning (OL) during COVID-19 pandemic. Seven hundred and three students (between 17 and 62 years, from 67 higher education institutions) participated in the study. We identified three different profiles of students regarding psychological aspects and OL perception. The first profile, called as the ‘Low QoL’ group was composed of younger students, mainly females, with higher frequency of psychological disorders (as evidenced by the self-report of depression and/or anxiety), in addition to higher Burnout scores, lower QoL and worse OL perception. The second profile called ‘Intermediate QoL’ comprised participants with an average age of 45 years, with a greater number of men, married, with kids and working in addition to studying. They presented better OL scores than the ‘Low QoL’ group. The third profile called ‘Better QoL’ comprised students with higher scores in all domains of QoL and better OL perception, with greater frequency of physical activity and lower BS scores. Students from Health courses showed higher scores for general QoL, and also for the psychological and environmental domains in relation to the other areas. Besides, students of the Exact Sciences courses showed higher scores on all OL perception items in comparison to the other courses. Our results provide insights regarding the mental health profile of undergraduate students, allowing educational managers to outline specific coping strategies to assist students during the pandemic.
Palavras-chave: Burnout syndrome, quality of life, online learning, COVID-19 outbreak
Publicado em: Psychol Health Med (2021)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2021.1944656
Risk factors for critical illness and death among adult Brazilians with COVID-19
Por: Isabela Silva; Natália Cristina de Faria; Álida Rosária Silva Ferreira; Lucilene Rezende Anastácio; Lívia Garcia Ferreira
Autor contato: Lívia Garcia Ferreira (livia.ferreira@ufla.br)
Resumo
Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has infected more than 9,834,513 Brazilians up to February 2021.
Knowledge of risk factors of coronavirus disease among Brazilians remains scarce, especially in the adult population. This study
verified the risk factors for intensive care unit admission and mortality for coronavirus disease among 20–59-year-old Brazilians. Methods: A Brazilian database on respiratory illness was analyzed on October 9, 2020, to gather data on age, sex, ethnicity, education, housing area, and comorbidities (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for coronavirus disease. Results: Overall, 1,048,575 persons were tested for coronavirus disease; among
them, 43,662 were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 34,704 patients died. Male sex (odds ratio=1.235 and 1.193), obesity (odds
ratio=1.941 and 1.889), living in rural areas (odds ratio=0.855 and 1.337), and peri-urban areas (odds ratio=1.253 and 1.577) were
predictors of intensive care unit admission and mortality, respectively. Cardiovascular disease (odds ratio=1.552) was a risk factor for
intensive care unit admission. Indigenous people had reduced chances (odds ratio=0.724) for intensive care unit admission, and black,
mixed, East Asian, and indigenous ethnicity (odds ratio=1.756, 1.564, 1.679, and 1.613, respectively) were risk factors for mortality. Conclusions: Risk factors for intensive care unit admission and mortality among adult Brazilians were higher in men, obese individuals, and non-urban areas. Obesity was the strongest risk factor for intensive care unit admission and mortality.
Palavras-chave: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, mortality, obesity, cardiovascular disease, pandemic, rural health
Publicado em: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (2021)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0014-2021
Streamlining the dental care during COVID-19 pandemic: updated clinical recommendations and infection control management framework
Por: Luciano José Pereira; Ramiro Mendonça Murata; Vanessa Pardi; Flávio Freitas Mattos
Autor contato: Luciano José Pereira
Resumo
Several guidelines for dental practice have been published by dental associations and regulatory boards since the beginning of the pandemic. Initially, all non-emergency dental treatment were suspended. Healthcare personnel around the world are gradually expanding back to elective procedures. International updated recommendations alert that professionals must maintain regular observation of local health department reports, ensure personal protective equipment, and screen all patients for COVID-19 signs and symptoms. Telehealth strategies, patient screening, rescheduling when presenting COVID-19 symptoms and/or history of contact with infected people and hand/environment hygiene practices are reinforced. Appropriate cleaning and surface disinfection are mandatory. The dental staff must be trained to use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), following a risk assessment and standard precautions: gloves; fluid resistant disposable gown, eye protection (face shield or goggles) and a medical mask. A fit tested N95 or KN95 respirator (or higher) is recommended when aerosol generating procedures are performed. Only essential accompanying persons should attend to dental appointment with the patient and must wear a cloth face covering or facemask. Social distancing and mask wearing by all staff are necessary in all areas of the office. Dental health care providers should keep up to date to the current guidance of clinical practice during the pandemic.
Palavras-chave: Oral Health, Coronavirus, Health Policy, COVID-19
Publicado em: Brazilian Oral Research (2021)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107bor-2021.vol35.0046
Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (BP-OCS) using a large University Sample in Brazil
Por: Eric Francelino Andrade; Luciano José Pereira; Débora Ribeiro Orlando; Marco Fabrício Dias Peixoto; Sherman A. Lee; Paula Midori Castelo
Autor contato: Luciano José Pereira (lucianojosepereira@ufla.br)
Resumo
We aimed to validate a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (BP-OCS) using a large sample of university students in Brazil (N = 1454). The scale showed solid psychometric characteristics in terms of internal consistency (α = .78), test–retest reliability (ICC = .86), factorial validity (PAF and CFA support), and construct validity. Additionally, BP-OCS scores were found to be higher among females, participants with diagnosed depression, anxiety, and self-reported anxiety. These findings suggest that the BP-OCS is a reliable and valid measure of persistent and disturbed thinking about COVID-19 for Brazilian university students.
Publicado em: Death Studies (2021)
Artigo completo: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1879319