Wearing a mask for a long time, particularly N95, is sometimes uncomfortable, annoying, and confining, making catching breath difficult and reducing the oxygen level in the blood. The study aimed to investigate the change in blood oxygen level when wearing an N95 mask for three hours among dental practitioners in dental clinics and the impact of low O2 levels on the general status of students while working in a stressful environment. Material and methods:The sample included 82 adult healthy senior dental students attending the student oral surgery clinical sessions. All Participants had their oxygen saturation SpO2 measured using a portable pulse oximeter before, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after wearing the mask, and were allowed to describe their feeling of discomfort throughout the study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and heart rate (HR) were also measured before and 3 hours after wearing the mask.Results: 84.15% (n= 69) of the participants reported some discomfort affecting their general status and clinical performance. There was a statistically significant increase in mean heart rate after three hours (P-value = 0.001) while there was no statistically significant change in mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure after three hours (P-value = 0.630) and (P-value=0.407), respectively. On the other hand, the mean oxygen saturation after three hours showed a statistically significant lower value compared with baseline measurement. Conclusion:This study revealed a decrease in the oxygen saturation (SpO2) and a slight increase in pulse rate compared to baseline values in all students three hours after wearing an N95 face mask. In addition, the N95 mask induced discomfort in breathing, a decrease in physical performance, and increased fatigue not related to prolonged standing and stress.

Wearing a mask for a long time, particularly N95, is sometimes uncomfortable, annoying, and confining, making catching breath difficult and reducing the oxygen level in the blood. The study aimed to investigate the change in blood oxygen level when wearing an N95 mask for three hours among dental practitioners in dental clinics and the impact of low O2 levels on the general status of students while working in a stressful environment. Material and methods:The sample included 82 adult healthy senior dental students attending the student oral surgery clinical sessions. All Participants had their oxygen saturation SpO2 measured using a portable pulse oximeter before, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after wearing the mask, and were allowed to describe their feeling of discomfort throughout the study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and heart rate (HR) were also measured before and 3 hours after wearing the mask.Results: 84.15% (n= 69) of the participants reported some discomfort affecting their general status and clinical performance. There was a statistically significant increase in mean heart rate after three hours (P-value = 0.001) while there was no statistically significant change in mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure after three hours (P-value = 0.630) and (P-value=0.407), respectively. On the other hand, the mean oxygen saturation after three hours showed a statistically significant lower value compared with baseline measurement. Conclusion:This study revealed a decrease in the oxygen saturation (SpO2) and a slight increase in pulse rate compared to baseline values in all students three hours after wearing an N95 face mask. In addition, the N95 mask induced discomfort in breathing, a decrease in physical performance, and increased fatigue not related to prolonged standing and stress.

Oral submucosal fibrosis is a serious condition that might be associated with serious complications in the affected patient. The disease also represents a major challenge to the healthcare specialists and the patient before achieving proper management of the condition. Different pharmacological and surgical interventions have been validated. However, no single modality has been proved as an adequate management approach for the disease, which is probably due to the limited number of investigations in this concern and the limited knowledge about the pathogenesis of the condition. In the present literature review, we have discussed the different surgical approaches that have been reported in the literature for managing patients with oral submucosal fibrosis. These approaches mainly aimed to remove the fibrous bands in the oral cavity and maintain adequate mouth opening. It should be noted that it would be hard to write a solid conclusion in this concern because most of the current evidence was either lacking or obtained from a limited number of studies with no proper sample sizes or adequate follow up durations. Accordingly, the indication of the surgical intervention should be primarily done by the surgeon based on the degree of involvement of the oral cavity. Finally, we recommended that further comparative investigations be carried out to further demonstrate the most appropriate management modality and to rule out whether pharmacological or surgical modalities are more efficacious in these settings.