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. 2020 Aug;43(4):325-327.
doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2020.05.016. Epub 2020 May 29.

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

Nathalie Botros  1 , Parvati Iyer  2 , David M Ojcius  3
Affiliations

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

Nathalie Botros et al. Biomed J. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Dentistry; Inflammation; Oral health; Pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest One of the authors (DMO) is an editor with Biomedical Journal. The other authors do not declare any competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanisms that could cause poor oral health to exacerbate symptoms of COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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