Oral Health in Covid-19 Survivors

Biomarkers of Oral Health in Covid-19 Survivors

Aims are to assess periodontal health and salivary stress/ immunity responses in COVID-19 survivors

There are lack of data concerning oral health in COVID-19 survivors, nevertheless, many middle-aged patients with oral symptoms of Post-acute COVID-19 report xerostomia and taste impairment and suffer from oral hypofunction, thus may be susceptible to periodontitis and oral frailty. Post-acute or long COVID-19 is/would be the health hallmark of post-COVID-19 era, manifested as a multiplicity of clinical problems and requiring conceptual framework aiming at multidisciplinary health preserving activities. There are various factors which may affect oral and periodontal health in post-COVID-19 era, such as disruption of dental professional care due to the fear of infection, virus-induced disturbance of oral homeostasis and, as a common denominator- COVID-19-induced psychological stress. Expected results would not just offer epidemiological data but also, mechanistic background for defining risks and modified measures aiming to preserve oral health in post-COVID-19 era.

Inclusion Criteria:

• self-reported good general health, ≥ 14 erupted teeth excluding third molars. For periodontally healthy: Bleeding on probing score ≤10%, without attachment loss and radiographic bone loss and probing depth ≤ 3 mm in every site (Trombelli L et al., 2018). For periodontitis patients: periodontitis in stages II-IV.

Exclusion Criteria:

• history of periodontal treatment in previous six months, acute oral infection, presence of systemic disease(s), pregnancy, lactation, smoking ≥ 10 cigarettes per day