Delays in the diagnosis of oral cancer due to the quarantine of COVID-19 in Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID) 2019 has become a health challenge for the entire world. The first case of COVID in Argentina was reported on March 3rd, 2020.1 In this scenario, local authorities declared a quarantine, which effectively began on March 20th and is still ongoing. Although in recent months there have been some flexibilities, Argentinian lockdown is one of the longest isolation measures worldwide. The restrictive measures halted private and public dental care services, similar to the situation in Italy.2 The government restricted transportation between cities, only allowed in critical cases. However, people are also frightened by the increased risk of COVID infection when visiting health centers.

The Oral Medicine Department (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) remains closed since the second week of March 2020. Thus, our activities are hindered, including follow-up of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral cancer (OC). Due to the reduced clinical work, new visits for oral conditions were also disrupted putting those patients at risk.3 The rational use of telemedicine helped us to manage referrals.4 However, nowadays we are treating individuals that we have not seen in a long time as the result of this long-standing quarantine. We would like to report four cases showcasing the impact of lockdown in the follow-up of OPMD and early diagnosis of OC.