Oral manifestations of monkeypox and potential tools for their management

Since May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported in around 70 countries where the disease is not endemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the 2022 monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The monkey poxvirus, like that of smallpox, is a member of the Orthopoxvirus group. There are two distinct strains (or clades, i.e., groups of similar microorganisms that are descended from a common ancestor) of monkeypox: the West African strain and the Congo Basin strain [1]. Particularly, all cases associated with the 2022 global outbreak are caused by the West African strain. Despite the name, nonhuman primates are not a reservoir for the virus. Although the reservoir is unknown, the main candidates are small rodents (eg, squirrels) of African rainforests, mainly in western and central Africa. Dentists and oral pathologists should be aware of the clinical manifestations of the new monkeypox virus. Even if this last is transmitted through large respiratory droplets and typically requires prolonged close contact (in contrast to the current SARS-CoV-2 infection), the possibility of transmission through saliva splashes during dental procedures is concrete