Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2022 Jun 23;17(6):e0270311. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270311. eCollection 2022.
COVID-19 has impacted and increased risks for healthcare providers, including orthodontists. There is no information regarding the potential transmission risks in the orthodontic community. This study aims to compare the positivity rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in orthodontic patients at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) orthodontic clinic to the positivity rate of the local population in Chicago. All orthodontic patients who sought treatment at the UIC orthodontic clinic from June 16 to October 31, 2021, were invited to participate in the study. Three milliliters of saliva from the participants were collected in the sample collection tubes and subjected to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay to detect SAR-CoV-2. All participants' age, sex, history of COVID-19 infection, and vaccination status were recorded. The COVID-19 positivity rates of Chicago, Cook County of Illinois, and the orthodontic clinic at UIC were compared. One thousand four hundred and thirty-seven orthodontic patients aged 6 to 70 years old (41.8% males and 58.2% females) participated in the study. Among all participants, nine participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (5 males and 4 females). During the study, the average COVID-19 positivity rate at the UIC orthodontic clinic was 0.626%. All of the positive participants were asymptomatic, and two of the participants had a history of COVID-19 infection. Among all positive participants, three participants had received complete COVID-19 vaccination. An increased frequency of positive cases at the orthodontic clinic was observed during the time of high positivity rate in Chicago and Cook County. A potential risk of COVID-19 transmission from patients to orthodontic providers remains, even with asymptomatic and vaccinated patients.
COVID-19 对医疗保健提供者（包括正畸医生）产生了影响并增加了风险。目前尚无关于正畸领域潜在传播风险的信息。本研究旨在比较伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校（UIC）正畸诊所正畸患者 SARS-CoV-2 感染的阳性率与芝加哥当地人群的阳性率。所有于 2021 年 6 月 16 日至 10 月 31 日在 UIC 正畸诊所就诊的正畸患者均被邀请参加研究。从参与者中采集 3 毫升唾液放入样本采集管中，并进行聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测 SARS-CoV-2。记录所有参与者的年龄、性别、COVID-19 感染史和疫苗接种状况。比较了芝加哥、伊利诺伊州库克县和 UIC 正畸诊所的 COVID-19 阳性率。1437 名年龄在 6 至 70 岁的正畸患者（41.8%为男性，58.2%为女性）参加了研究。在所有参与者中，有 9 名参与者检测出 SARS-CoV-2 呈阳性（5 名男性和 4 名女性）。在研究期间，UIC 正畸诊所的平均 COVID-19 阳性率为 0.626%。所有阳性参与者均无症状，其中 2 名参与者有 COVID-19 感染史。在所有阳性参与者中，有 3 名参与者已完全接种 COVID-19 疫苗。在芝加哥和库克县 COVID-19 阳性率较高期间，正畸诊所阳性病例的频率有所增加。即使是无症状和接种疫苗的患者，患者向正畸医生传播 COVID-19 的风险仍然存在。
