Resilience Will Sustain Us

In these times of isolation, we are focused on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and doing everything we can to protect ourselves and others while staying positive and productive. However, it is very difficult to carry out COVID-19 research when laboratories and clinics are closed. At the same time, the population is being deprived of nonemergency oral health care, and oral health care providers are struggling to cover their office overhead and support personnel with no income. Regardless, we are seeking COVID-19 reports. Once accepted, these COVID-19 publications will be immediately available through open access with no page charges. (Charges for color printing will be maintained.) We are seeking COVID-19 reports on any topic in clinical and translational research, including epidemiologic, behavioral, health services, and implementation research, to name just a few.

In their Invited Commentary, Ren et al. (2020) provide a thorough discussion of the COVID-19 virus, including infection control issues in oral health care delivery and suggestions for future research. Those curious about what deans/heads of dental faculties/schools are doing and thinking may find Dean Emami’s Perspective piece informative (Emami 2020).

Newton et al. (2020) carried out a systematic review to determine whether chewing sugar-free gum has an effect on caries incidence in children and adults. They concluded that there is “tentative” evidence supporting the reduction of caries through chewing sugar-free gum. As one reads in many systematic review reports, the authors dealt with a high degree of heterogeneity among the included studies. While the heterogeneity in this study was due to differences in dosage, exposure frequency, and length of follow-up, many systematic reviews are limited due to heterogeneity in choice of outcome. It is up to experts in each field to develop consensuses on standardized minimal outcome sets and other variables that are most appropriate to apply in research studies in a particular field.

To determine the impact of major innovations in dentistry on clinical practice, Heft et al. (2020) first identified 30 major innovations through surveys of experts, then polled 400 US dentists to ask them about the importance of each of these innovations to their patients’ care. This original study indicates which innovations dentists find important for their patients and of which they are aware. This information is particularly important for those who wish to guide research translation activities effectively. Unfortunately, author Marc Heft passed away in February. As a colleague and friend to many of us in the American Association for Dental Research and International Association for Dental Research, his passing is an enormous personal and professional loss. Please see “Remembering Marc Heft” (Duncan 2020).

Along with reports involving child oral health (Burgette and Rezaie 2020; Nair et al. 2020; Wang et al. 2020), we have 2 that focus on electronic health records. In their publication, Adibi et al. (2002) demonstrate that patients do not always accurately share their medical conditions with their dentists, which can lead to tragic consequences. Thus, they urge the development of policies that integrate medical and dental records. Walji et al. (2020) provide a description of how electronic health records can be used to identify and measure harm to patients in any oral health care setting using a dental “trigger” tool. This tool could be effective in improving safety and quality in oral health care in many environments.

While many researchers are dealing with the major impact of COVID-19 isolation measures on their studies due to closed laboratories and clinics, we are also noting potential opportunities that might not have been possible previously. Isolation can be ideal for introspection and meditation, to learn about new concepts, and, perhaps, to modify former goals. Ironically, the current isolation might allow for frequent virtual communication among researchers in different disciplines to share knowledge and/or to develop new collaborative protocols. Individual investigators can take time to review their research programs and consider new paths forward. As researchers, we are prepared for resiliency; we often start in one direction, then move in a different one based on new findings. In these circumstances with the disruption of our working and personal lives, this resiliency will enable us to find pathways to balance and move forward. We will come through COVID-19 even more resourceful, with benefits that may surprise and lead to even more exciting opportunities, and we will emerge from this pandemic more robust than ever before.

With this in mind, the JDR CTR team extends our wishes to all for good health and high spirits in the months to come.