Oral mucosal lesions in a COVID-19 patient: New signs or secondary manifestations?

Abstract

Some oral manifestations have been observed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there is still a question about whether these lesions are due to coronavirus infection or secondary manifestations resulting from the patient's systemic condition. Thus, this article aims to report an additional case of an oral condition in a patient diagnosed with COVID-19. Our patient, a sixty-seven-year-old Caucasian man, tested positive to coronavirus and presented oral manifestations such as recurrent herpes simplex, candidiasis, and geographic tongue. We support the argument that some oral conditions could be secondary to the deterioration of systemic health or due to treatments for COVID-19. The present case report highlights the importance of including dentists in the intensive care unit multi-professional team to improve oral health in critical patients, not only COVID-19 patients, but also, to contribute to evidence-based and decision-making in managing infectious diseases.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• Oral conditions
• Recurrent herpes simplex
• Candidiasis
• Geographic tongue