key: cord-0768831-k0zxo4gh
authors: Martelli Júnior, Hercílio; Machado, Renato Assis; Bonan, Paulo Rogério Ferreti; da Cruz Perez, Danyel Elias; Pires, Fábio Ramôa; Alves, Fábio Abreu
title: Brazilian oral medicine and oral pathology: we are here during the Covid‐19 pandemic
date: 2020-05-27
journal: Oral Dis
DOI: 10.1111/odi.13440
sha: 3b8fadaf0b51beae968b7b3397765868483337a0
doc_id: 768831
cord_uid: k0zxo4gh

Coronavirus disease 19 (Covid‐19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11(th), 2020 (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen). As of May 19(th), 2020, approximately 4,731,458 cases of contamination and 316,169 deaths from Covid‐19 were recorded (https://who.sprinklr.com).

Social confinement due to Covid-19 pandemic has been changed dental education activities (Iyer, Aziz, & Ojcius, 2020) and with the various specialties and their respective challenges, such as endodontic treatment (Prati, Pelliccioni, Sambri, Chersoni, & Gandolfi, 2020) , tele(oral)medicine (Villa, Sankar, & Shiboski, 2020; Machado, de Souza, Oliveira, Martelli-Júnior, & Bonan, 2020) , head and neck maxillofacial surgery (Brody, Albergotti, Shimunov, Nicolli, Harris, & Bur, 2020) , pediatric dentistry (Casamassimo, Townsend, & Litch, 2020 ) and oral and head and neck cancer (Leonel, Martelli-Junior, Bonan, Kowalski, & da Cruz Perez, 2020).

Brazil has a population of approximately 211 million people and an extensive territorial area of 8,515,767,049 km 2 . The country is formed by 26 States and a Federal District, which is its capital (Brasília). Moreover, a total of 5,570 municipalities distributed in five regions. It also has 11.6 million unemployed people (https://www.ibge.gov.br/). The first official Covid-19 case occurred on Feb 25 th , 2020. Currently, Brazil has most cases and deaths in Latin America

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved (254,220 cases and 16,792 deaths as of May 18) (https://covid.saude.gov.br/), and these data are probably substantially underestimated (The Lancet, 2020).

On 9 th May, 2020, the Brazilian National Congress has decreed three days of national mourning, due to the number of official deaths of Covid-19 having passed the mark of 10,000.

National and Southern Common Market (MERCOSUL) flags, as well as the flags of the 26

States and the Federal District, will remain raised at a funeral, at half-mast (https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2020/05/09/congresso-decreta-luto-oficial-pelas-10-mil-mortes-por-covid-19-no-brasil) (Figure 1 ). Some Brazilian States in the North and Northeast, such as Maranhão, Pará and Ceará, began to enact the lockdown, due to the advance of the pandemic and the non-compliance with the quarantine (https://exame.abril.com.br/brasil/obrasil-em-lockdown-as-regras-para-as-cidades-que-vivem-bloqueio-total/). All classroom lessons were paralyzed, including Universities. Moreover, most public and private dental services were encouraged to attend only urgencies, like oral pain, dental and bone fracture. We have demonstrated that Brazilian researchers have significantly contributed with publications in the main specific periodicals with focus on oral medicine and oral pathology (de Andrade, Martelli, Swerts, Oliveira, & Martelli, 2018; de Andrade et al., 2018) . Despite all this scenario of challenges and limitations, we are here developing oral medicine and oral pathology activities, such as telemedicine, face-to-face hospital clinical care, clinical and research meetings, histopathological diagnoses, and conventional remote classes. Crises allow us to learn and among them, assistance and permanent help to those most in need. Despite the enormous problems and the accumulation of oral diseases in this period, albeit in a very limited way and in a country with continental dimensions, we are trying to reduce the suffering of the neediest ( Figure 2 ).

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

In conclusion, this group have organized weekly meetings with the graduate students, residents and oral medicine and oral pathology students. Specific issues in oral medicine and oral pathology, such as clinic-pathological cases, oral manifestation of chronic diseases and oral side effects of oncological treatment are discussed. In our opinion, such activity has been important for both professors and students, and even after the end of the pandemic, our meetings will be maintained.

Changes in Head and Neck Oncologic Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pediatric Dentistry During and After COVID-19

Brazilian scientific production in Oral Medicine and Oral 104739

Social Media and telemedicine for oral diagnosis and counselling in the COVID-19 Era

COVID-19: its impact on dental schools in Italy, clinical problems in endodontic therapy and general considerations

Covid-19 in Brazil: so what? The Lancet

Tele(oral)medicine: a new approach during the COVID-19 crisis

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Minas Gerais State Research Foundation-FAPEMIG, Minas Gerais, Brazil and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development -CNPq

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved practitioners regarding to tobacco control and patient counseling. Oral Oncol, 24,

None declared. https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2020/05/09/congresso-decreta-luto-oficial-pelas-10-mil-mortes-por-covid-19-no-brasil