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This was the first longitudinal study to analyze dental clinic wastewater to estimate asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection trends in children. We monitored wastewater over a 14-month period, spanning three major COVID-19 waves driven by the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. Each Saturday, wastewater was sampled at the Pediatric Dental Clinic of the only dental hospital in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. The relationship between the weekly number of cases in Saitama Prefecture among residents aged < 10 years (exposure) and wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection (outcome) was examined. The number of cases was significantly associated with wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity (risk ratio, 5.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.72-16.67; Fisher's exact test, p = 0.0005). A sample from Week 8 of 2022 harbored the Omicron variant. Compared to sporadic individual testing, this approach allows continuous population-level surveillance, which is less affected by healthcare seeking and test availability. Since wastewater from pediatric dental clinics originates from the oral cavities of asymptomatic children, such testing can provide important information regarding asymptomatic COVID-19 in children, complementing clinical pediatric data., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: The standard value for circulating blood volume (BV) during anesthesia was determined by a multicenter study in Japan. The significance of BV on the reduction of blood pressure after the induction of anesthesia was also examined., Methods: The study included 184 patients from eight university hospitals. After the induction of anesthesia, pulse dye-densitometry was performed according to a uniform protocol. Factors contributing to reduced blood pressure after induction of anesthesia were examined by multiple logistic regression analysis., Results: The mean and standard deviation of BV was 80.0 +/- 13.9 ml x kg(-1); for females and 84.2 +/- 15.3 ml x kg(-1) for males (P > 0.05). There was no age difference in terms of BV. After adjusting for the effects of height, weight, and age, the factors predisposing to a reduction in blood pressure of >20 mmHg after induction of anesthesia were found to be age (P < 0.01) and BV (ml x kg(-1)) (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: We determined the BV of anesthetized patients before surgery in Japan using pulse dye-densitometry. It is suggested that age is not a factor regarding BV, and that blood pressure tends to be reduced in hypovolemic patients after induction of anesthesia.

Suginoki Dental Clinic, which is managed by Suginami Dental Association, financially supported by Suginami City, and technically assisted by the University Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, was established for dental treatment of handicapped persons living in Suginami City, Tokyo who are difficult to be treated by private practitioners. It has one full-time dentist, 12 part-time dentists, two dental hygienists, one nurse, and one clerk; one of the part-time dentists practices twice a week there. Since December 1994, 406 patients visited the clinic and the total cases was 9,273 in December 1999; 99 cases were mentally retarded, 36 autism, and 30 epileptic patients in the younger group; and 65 cases were cerebrovascular disease and 27 cardiac malfunction patients in the older group. Almost all the patients needed special care such as monitoring, intravenous sedation, nitrous oxide sedation, and general anesthesia. Four cases underwent general anesthesia, and no complication was seen among the cases. It was concluded that the clinic has been successful due to a good relationship among the Dental Association, Suginami City, and the dental hospital.