THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a known fact that comorbidities like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and renal ailments increase the severity of COVID-19. Now, a pioneering study has found that poor oral hygiene and gum problems can also lead to such severity.
"The findings of our study revealed that periodontitis is significantly associated with COVID-19. The increased prevalence and severity of periodontitis and associated poor oral hygiene might contribute to the aggravation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The gum bleeding and plaque score were also found to be significantly high among COVID patients," said Anil Sukumaran, one of the authors of the study.
"Hence, it is essential to maintain periodontal health and good oral hygiene as an important measure for the prevention and management of COVID and its complications," he added. Sukumaran is the chair of the hospital research committee, department of dentistry of Oral Health Institute, Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar.
Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that leads to the destruction of the supporting structures of the teeth. The study found that periodontitis and periodontopathic bacteria can increase oral colonisation by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) and thus, the oral cavity may serve as a reservoir for the virus.
The study was conducted at the Department of Dentistry, ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad from August 2020 to February 2021. It was conducted on 150 patients with gum disease (periodontitis) with almost equal number of Covid positives and negatives. Similar studies in the past found links among periodontitis and pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as in that of systemic diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.