Oral manifestations in COVID-19 patients: An observational study.

BACKGROUND

Viral diseases continue to emerge as a threat to mankind and are a serious concern to public health. The latest lethal SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease, which propagated quickly across the globe. Similar to other influenza-like viral infections, symptoms such as fever, dry cough, myalgia, arthralgia, headache, diarrhea, dyspnea, and fatigue were reported among COVID-19 patients. Evidence suggests that the oral cavity is affected by this virus either directly or indirectly.

AIM: The aim of this observational study was to determine the oral manifestations among COVID-19 patients.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was carried out among COVID-19 recovered patients. A sample of 100 subjects, diagnosed as mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 disease were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The study comprised an almost equal number of male (51%) and female (49%) participants and among them, 48% belong to the health professional group. A total of 54% of subjects were aged above 35 years and 46% below 35 years. Oral manifestations among study subjects during and after the disease illness included xerostomia being the commonest symptom (44%), followed by swallowing difficulty (16%), mouth ulcerations (10%), chewing problem (7%), gum bleeding (6%), and burning sensation (4%).

CONCLUSION

Xerostomia, frequent aphthous ulcers, swallowing difficulty, and burning mouth were the most frequently encountered symptoms in study subjects during the disease and post recovery. Early identification of oral symptoms in COVID-19 recovered or suspected cases can help a dentist or a general physician to diagnose high-risk groups, mitigate transmission, and promote overall health.