Nonsyndromic Oral Clefts and COVID-19 Crisis: Some Considerations on the Delay in Clinical Management of Patients

Abstract

Dear Editor, In 2020, when we searched the word "Coronavirus" in PubMed, 19,085 papers were found, a daily average of 100.9 papers/day. These papers discussed several aspects of COVID-19 pandemic, including signals and symptoms, spread of virus, risk of health workers, drugs and treatment (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/). The scientific literature related to dentistry is still limited, with studies exploring areas of clinical care [1-5], immunobiology of oral mucosa [6], and the use of social media and telemedicine [7]. However, no reports on impact of treatment and management of patients with oral clefts have yet been described. Nonsyndromic oral clefts (NOC) are amongst the most prevalent congenital abnormalities in humans (approximately 1 in 700 live births), and are considered important public health problem mainly due to the high risk of mortality, reaching up to 30% in underdeveloped countries and in specific areas in developed countries, and significant morbidities [8]. Both esthetic consequences and functional impairment, such as restriction of maxillofacial growth, dental changes, speech and chewing disorders and hearing problems, affect patients’ health and quality of life and demand longstanding treatment, in some cases for the entire life of patient [9].