Remote Management of Prosthodontic Emergencies in the Geriatric Population During the Pandemic Outbreak of COVID-19

Sami Aldhuwayhi; Saquib Ahmed Shaikh; Amar Ashok Thakare; Mohammed Ziauddeen Mustafa; Sreekanth Kumar Mallineni

doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.648675

Remote Management of Prosthodontic Emergencies in the Geriatric Population During the Pandemic Outbreak of COVID-19

Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 Jul 28:8:648675. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.648675. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Sami Aldhuwayhi¹, Saquib Ahmed Shaikh¹, Amar Ashok Thakare¹, Mohammed Ziauddeen Mustafa¹, Sreekanth Kumar Mallineni^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Prosthodontics, College of Dentistry, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Preventive Dental Science, College of Dentistry, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science, Saveetha University, Chennai, India.

Abstract

The global pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has put the world in a panic situation. It has been evident that the geriatric population is more susceptible to acquire this infection. Thus, due to this ongoing crisis, geriatric individuals cannot visit a dental operatory, and there is the possibility of their dental needs and emergencies to remain unattended. Partial or complete edentulism is very prevalent among the geriatric population, and prosthodontic management of these patients is essential for their well-being. However, the prosthesis can lead to various emergencies of the oral and its supporting structures. There are currently no available recommendations to address these prosthodontic emergencies in geriatric individuals during this pandemic period. Hence, the aims of this minireview were to discuss the common prosthodontic emergencies in the geriatric population and provide recommendations to manage these issues during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Keywords: COVID-19; geriatric dentistry; portable equipment; prosthodontics; teledentistry.

Publication types

Review