Biomedical Journal (Aug 2020)

Is there an association between oral health and severity of COVID-19 complications?

  • Nathalie Botros,
  • Parvati Iyer,
  • David M. Ojcius

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 43, no. 4
pp. 325 – 327

Abstract

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Most patients with severe complications from COVID-19 have underlying conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. In parallel, there is growing evidence for a link between periodontitis and non-oral systemic diseases. The oral cavity is also a reservoir for respiratory pathogens, and patients with periodontal disease are more likely to develop hospital-acquired pneumonia than healthy individuals. We therefore hypothesize that improving oral health could decrease the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the associated morbidity.

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