The impact of oral health status on covid-19 severity, recovery period and c-reactive protein values
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: The mouth cavity can serve as source for respiratory viruses, putting patients at risk of superinfection. Poor oral hygiene has been linked to hyper-inflammation in several studies. COVID-19 severity has also been connected to increased inflammatory responses. As a result, we hypothesised in this study that greater COVID-19 severity could be connected to poor dental health. This was accomplished by evaluating dental health, COVID-19 symptom severity, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and recovery time. Methods and Materials: After meeting the study's exclusion criteria, 419 patients with confirmed positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were enrolled in the study. The questionnaire was divided into two components, the first of which assessed oral health and the second of which assessed COVID-19 severity. An oral health score was used to assess the impact of dental health on COVID-19 severity. As a secondary outcome, the impact of dental health on CRP and recovery time was assessed. The questionnaire was used to obtain data on CRP levels and COVID-19 PCR testing, which were then verified by consulting medical records. Results: There was a significant inverse connection between oral health and COVID-19 severity (p0.001, r = -0.512). Furthermore, there was a strong inverse association between oral health and recovery period and CRP values (p 0.001, -0.449 and p 0.001, -0.190, respectively), indicating that poor dental health was linked to higher CRP levels and a longer recovery period. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that oral health may have a role in the severity of COVID-19. The study design, however, limits the correlation. To explore this relationship, a larger study endeavour is required.
Authors: Rachna Kapoor, Anshika Gupta, P. Mandal, Raj Kumar Singh, S. K. Tandon, Dimple Chopra
Language: English
Topic: Dental Research and COVID-19
Subfield: General Dentistry
Field: Dentistry
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3194809507