Abstract
The present descriptive research focused on determining the traits of patients who required endodontic treatment during the COVID-19 lockdown and various stages of unlocking in Mumbai metropolitan region. The descriptive analysis was carried out by examining the patients who were registered at Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai during four phases of lockdown (25 March to 31 May 2020) and eight phases of unlock (1 June 2020 to 31 January 2021). The evaluation was performed by evaluating the number of days and the overall number of patients reported for endodontic treatment for the first and subsequent visits. Each patient underwent intensive triage, which included taking their body temperature, oxygen saturation level, and travel history. The sex, age, and endodontic diagnosis of the offending tooth were also reported. The pain parameters were analyzed using a verbal numerical rating score (VNRS). During the lockdown phases, 297 patients seeking endodontic treatment visited the hospital over a total of 26 working days, and during the unlock phases, 16,195 patients visited the hospital over 189 working days. The average age of the patients that visited were 31–40 years of age (57.23%). The mean VNRS score was 5.85 ± 1.62. For both the lockdown and unlock periods, a significantly higher percentage of males visited dental school (p < 0.001). When compared to other stages, the number of patients attending during lockdown phase 4 (55.56%) and unlock phase 8 (32.35%) was the highest. The majority of endodontic emergency diagnoses were reversible pulpitis (36.5%) and symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (33.14%), all of which had higher mean VNRS (p < 0.05). Of the 49 patients that reported with COVID-19 symptoms, 11 tested positive. During the lockdown and unlock periods, 12 of the 41 treating workers tested positive. Personal protective equipment and patient screening are critical in shielding clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The COVID-19, which is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits symptoms such as fever, dry cough, nausea, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath [1]
The percentage of patients visiting during lockdown phase 4 (165 of 297; 55.56%) and unlock phase 8 (5238 of 16,195; 32.35%), was highest compared to other phases (Table 1)
In the current descriptive analysis, a total of 16,492 (297—lockdown and 16,195—unlock) patients reported to the dental hospital for various endodontic treatments
Summary
The COVID-19, which is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits symptoms such as fever, dry cough, nausea, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath [1]. On 30 December 2019, several COVID-19 cases were registered in China’s Wuhan Province [2]. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic [3]. Every part of human life has been influenced. COVID-19 spreads by sneezing and coughing, nasal droplets and polluted surfaces, and the mucous membranes of the lips, skin, and nose [4]. On 30 January 2020, India reported the first case of COVID-19 in the city of Thrissur, Kerala. By February 3, two more cases of students returning to India from China’s Wuhan
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