Revista de higiene y salud bucal

Abstracto

Emergencies and Urgencies in Orthodontics and their at-Home Management during Covid-19: A Review

Somya Banerjee

Introduction: The outbreak of corona virus disease in 2019 has brought immense struggle in the routine life of each and every individual across the globe. Dental healthcare is no exception to that. India is facing second wave of corona virus pandemic. With the lockdown in place in order to prevent the spread of corona virus, dental services cannot be provided instantly to the individuals in need. Emergencies during ongoing orthodontic treatment are not uncommon and these emergencies demand prompt orthodontic management for the relief of pain and discomfort. Because of closure of dental services, these emergencies have to be dealt at-home by the patient which is to be done under the constant surveillance of an orthodontist. This article provides a brief overview of the emergencies that are to be expected during various phases of orthodontic treatment and methods to manage these emergencies at home by the patient during lockdown and quarantine.

Materials and methodology: This review includes publications in English and non-English languages that matched the search terms up to 25th April, 2021. Studies were retrieved from the following databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane and Google Scholar. The search was conducted using the following terms: COVID-19; dentist; oral; orthodontic; management; infection control; contamination; risks and transmission; emergencies; protocol; teleorthodontics. Articles that fall within the scope of this review were included and retrieved in full text. References of those articles were screened as well.

Conclusion: Orthodontic urgencies and emergencies including severe pain and discomfort can be managed athome under the proper guidance of the orthodontist. Although the treatment process may get delayed because of breakage of appliances while attempting to manage the condition at home, but relief of undue pain and discomfort should be the primary concern of an orthodontist.