Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40559201›Full record

ArticleInfectious disease reports2025

SARS-CoV-2 Did Not Spread Through Dental Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.

Yasuhiro Tsubura, Yuske Komiyama, Saori Ohtani, Toshiki Hyodo, Ryo Shiraishi, Shuma Yagisawa, Erika Yaguchi, Maki Tsubura-Okubo, Hajime Houzumi, Masato Nemoto and 6 more

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Article in Infectious disease reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Yasuhiro TsuburaDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Yuske KomiyamaDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-2301-6895
Saori OhtaniDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Toshiki HyodoDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Ryo ShiraishiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Shuma YagisawaDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Erika YaguchiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.ORCID 0009-0002-8975-5444
Maki Tsubura-OkuboDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Hajime HouzumiDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Masato NemotoDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Jin KikuchiDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Chonji FukumotoDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-5160-6892
Sayaka IzumiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Takahiro WakuiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.ORCID 0009-0005-9838-6734
Koji WakeDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-3375-3159
Hitoshi KawamataDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Dokkyo Medical, 880 Kitakobayashi Mibu Shimotsuga, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.

Funding

KAKENHI JP20K10123KAKENHI JP22K17291
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDental professionals were thought to have the most significant risk of coronavirus infection during the pandemic. Since the first Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient was detected in Japan in January 2020, Japan has faced several waves of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. However, no cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections associated with dental procedures has been reported in Japan. In this study, we aimed to investigate the actual status of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the pandemic through antibody testing for dental professionals. We further investigated saliva and oral management-related aerosol to estimate the risk of virus transmission during dental procedures.

methodsSARS-CoV-2 antibody titer in the blood of dental professionals and their families was determined during the pre-vaccinated period of the SARS-CoV-2 wave to see the history of infection in Japan. Viral loads in saliva and in the aerosol generated during the oral management of COVID-19 patients were detected by RT-qPCR.

resultsThe antibody testing of dental healthcare providers during the early phases of the pandemic in Japan revealed low antibody positivity, which supported the low incidence of infection clusters among dental clinics. The aerosol generated during dental procedures may contain trace levels of SARS-CoV-2, indicating the risk of transmission through dental procedures is limited. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 did not spread through dental clinics.

conclusionsVery few SARS-CoV-2 infections were observed in dental professionals who took appropriate infection control measures in the early period of the pandemic. Performing dental procedures using standard precautions seems to be sufficient to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Indexed as

aerosolCOVID-19dentistryoral managementSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID40559201
PMCPMC12193509

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