introduction C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 8 , Nº 1 0
A Slice of Time Kerry K. Carney, DDS, CDE
W
hen you observe a fossil encased in the veneer stone of a marble wall, you are witnessing a slice of time. You may dismiss it as an ancient artifact. But it is a snapshot of the life of an organism in the context of its environment. To make the point clear, think of finding an old, yellowed photo of your grandparents at their wedding. You do not dismiss it as just a very old photo of a young couple related to you. Instead, you think of what was happening to them. What were they experiencing in that moment? You think of them in the context of their lives. This issue of the Journal of the California Dental Association is a slice of time. We are living in an interesting and rapidly changing environment. Data about the spread of the SARSCoV-2 virus and the tally of those who have succumbed to COVID-19 change daily. In this issue, we have compiled several articles detailing our current understanding of COVID-19; however, it goes without saying that figures cited in these pages will have changed by publication. Given the dynamic environment, the CDA Journal is being presented
as a slice of time. We know that in 18 months, five years or a decade from now the information we have gathered, processed and built on will be astounding. This event might even become a scientific watershed. We may categorize our knowledge of virology, epidemiology, public health and dental practice in terms of our pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 understanding. This special COVID-19 issue is not only designed to update the contemporary reader but will serve as an archive for future researchers. This issue provides a context for how we reacted to this unfolding pandemic. The articles herein illustrate what we think we know at this time. Molayem et al. take a periodontal perspective in their article “The MouthCOVID Connection: Il-6 Levels in Periodontal Disease-Potential Role in COVID-19-Related Respiratory Complications.” In their review, they explore the association between periodontal therapy, serum IL-6 levels, systemic inflammatory activity and COVID-19 severity. Mair et al. in their article “Decoding Dental Aerosols in the Age of COVID-19” posit that dentistry has a strong record of effective dental aerosol mitigation and an overemphasis on dental aerosols OC TOBER 2 0 2 0 481
