The outbreak and diffusion of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (Sars-CoV-2) and COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) have caused an emergency status in the health system, including in the dentistry environment. Italy registered the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and the second highest in Europe. An anonymous online survey composed of 40 questions has been sent to dentists practicing in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia, one of the areas in Italy most affected by COVID-19. The survey was aimed at highlighting the practical and emotional consequences of COVID-19 emergence on daily clinical practice. Specifically, it assessed dentists’ behavioral responses, emotions and concerns following the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic restrictive measures introduced by the Italian national administrative order of 10 March 2020 (DM-10M20), as well as the dentists’ perception of infection likelihood for themselves and patients. Furthermore, the psychological impact of COVID-19 was assessed by means of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 test (GAD-7), that measures the presence and severity of anxiety symptoms. Using local dental associations (ANDI-Associazione Nazionale Dentisti Italiani, CAO-Commissione Albo Odontoiatri) lists, the survey was sent by email to all dentists in the district of Modena and Reggio Emilia (874 practitioners) and was completed by 356 of them (40%). All dental practitioners closed or reduced their activity to urgent procedures, 38.2% prior to and 61.8% after the DM-10M20. All reported a routinely use of the most common protective personal equipment (PPE), but also admitted that the use of PPE had to be modified during COVID-19 pandemic. A high percentage of patients canceled their previous appointments after the DM-10M20. Almost 85% of the dentists reported being worried of contracting the infection during clinical activity. The results of the GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) evaluation showed that 9% of respondents reported a severe anxiety. To conclude, the COVID-19 emergency is having a highly negative impact on the activity of dentists practicing in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia. All respondents reported practice closure or strong activity reduction. The perception of this negative impact was accompanied by feelings of concern (70.2%), anxiety (46.4%) and fear (42.4%). The majority of them (89.6%) reported concerns about their professional future and the hope for economic measures to help dental practitioners.

A new coronavirus (Sars‐CoV‐2) was detected in China at the end of 2019 and has since caused a worldwide pandemic. This virus is responsible for an acute respiratory syndrome (COVID‐19), distinguished by a potentially lethal interstitial bilateral pneumonia. Because Sars‐CoV‐2 is highly infective through airborne contamination, the high infection risk in the dental environment is a serious problem for both professional practitioners and patients. This literature overview provides a description of the clinical aspects of COVID‐19 and its transmission, while supplying valuable information regarding protection and prevention measures.

A meta-analysis of short-term effects of air pollution on health in eight Italian cities from 1990 to 1999 is presented. Death certificates and hospital admission data as well as daily concentrations of pollutants were collected. The same generalized linear model adjusted for age, day of the week, holidays, influenza epidemics, meteorological variables, and seasonality pattern was fitted to the city data. City-specific model selection was not done. In the meta-analysis, for each outcome, the city-specific estimates for each pollutant were combined using fixed and random-effects models. Hierarchical Bayesian models were use to investigate the effects of PM10 in detail. Each pollutant (SO2, NO2, CO, PM10, O3) was significantly associated with mortality for natural causes. The effect of PM10 on mortality was greater during the warm season and for elderly. A north-south gradient in risk was observed for total natural mortality. The excess risks on hospital admission were modified by deprivation score and by the NO2/PM10 ratio. Results add evidence for an association between air pollution and early mortality or morbidity and support the hypothesis of a synergism between meteorological variables and air pollution.

This review provides a detailed description of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), focusing on those that are known to have critical roles in bone and periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory process initiated by anaerobic bacteria, which promote the host immune response in the form of a complex network of molecular pathways involving proinflammatory mediators such as cytokines, growth factors, and MMPs. MMPs are a family of 23 endopeptidases, collectively capable of degrading virtually all extracellular matrix (ECM) components. This study critically discusses the available research concerning the involvement of the MMPs in periodontal disease development and progression and presents possible therapeutic strategies. MMPs participate in morphogenesis, physiological tissue turnover, and pathological tissue destruction. Alterations in the regulation of MMP activity are implicated in the manifestation of oral diseases, and MMPs comprise the most important pathway in tissue destruction associated with periodontal disease. MMPs can be considered a risk factor for periodontal disease, and measurements of MMP levels may be useful markers for early detection of periodontitis and as a tool to assess prognostic follow-ups. Detection and inhibition of MMPs could, therefore, be useful in periodontal disease prevention or be an essential part of periodontal disease therapy, which, considering the huge incidence of the disease, may greatly improve oral health globally.

There is significant evidence in favor of decreasing death risk of bilateral versus single IMA procedure.