Persistent Oral Symptoms After Recovery From COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: To examine the prevalence and severity of persistent oral symptoms in recovered COVID-19 patients and to detect a relationship between oral hygiene, periodontal status, disease severity, and persistent oral symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A self-administered electronic instrument was distributed online through social media outlets targeting COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia from September 1, 2021, to December 30, 2021—adults who had a COVID-19 infection at least two months before the study were included. Results: 301 surveys were analysed. 54% of the participants had recovered from COVID-19 infection for more than six months, and 56.2% had moderate disease severity.13% of the participants reported experiencing at least one oral symptom during the COVID-19 infection, and 38% said that the oral symptoms persisted after the recovery from the infection. The most common symptoms included: dry mouth (45 %), taste and smell alteration or loss (42%), dental pain (29%), mouth ulcers (16%) and gingival bleeding (16%). 61% required pain medication or requested a prescription from the dentist. The presence of oral symptoms was significantly associated with severe COVID cases (OR=6.56) (P<0.001). Persistent oral symptoms were significantly related to the history of gingival inflammation (P=0.001) and gum pain (P=0.006) after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, BMI, and chronic disease. Conclusions: Oral symptoms are common findings with the COVID-19 infection, with many patients having persistent symptoms after recovery. Dentists should be aware of the need for proper assessment and evaluation of patients post-COVID-19.