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. 2021 Apr;48(4):483-491.
doi: 10.1111/jcpe.13435. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Association between periodontitis and severity of COVID-19 infection: A case-control study

Nadya Marouf  1 , Wenji Cai  2 , Khalid N Said  1 , Hanin Daas  3 , Hanan Diab  1 , Venkateswara Rao Chinta  4 , Ali Ait Hssain  4 , Belinda Nicolau  2 , Mariano Sanz  5 , Faleh Tamimi  3
Affiliations

Association between periodontitis and severity of COVID-19 infection: A case-control study

Nadya Marouf et al. J Clin Periodontol. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Aim: COVID-19 is associated with an exacerbated inflammatory response that can result in fatal outcomes. Systemic inflammation is also a main characteristic of periodontitis. Therefore, we investigated the association of periodontitis with COVID-19 complications.

Materials and methods: A case-control study was performed using the national electronic health records of the State of Qatar between February and July 2020. Cases were defined as patients who suffered COVID-19 complications (death, ICU admissions or assisted ventilation), and controls were COVID-19 patients discharged without major complications. Periodontal conditions were assessed using dental radiographs from the same database. Associations between periodontitis and COVID 19 complications were analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for demographic, medical and behaviour factors.

Results: In total, 568 patients were included. After adjusting for potential confounders, periodontitis was associated with COVID-19 complication including death (OR = 8.81, 95% CI 1.00-77.7), ICU admission (OR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.39-9.05) and need for assisted ventilation (OR = 4.57, 95% CI 1.19-17.4). Similarly, blood levels of white blood cells, D-dimer and C Reactive Protein were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients with periodontitis.

Conclusion: Periodontitis was associated with higher risk of ICU admission, need for assisted ventilation and death of COVID-19 patients, and with increased blood levels of biomarkers linked to worse disease outcomes.

Keywords: Covid-19; ICU admissions; death; periodontitis; ventilation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest relevant to this study.

Comment in

  • Is periodontitis associated with the severity of COVID-19?
    Shamsoddin E. Shamsoddin E. Evid Based Dent. 2021 Jan;22(2):66-68. doi: 10.1038/s41432-021-0179-x. Evid Based Dent. 2021. PMID: 34172910 Free PMC article.
  • COVID and perio.
    Takefuji Y. Takefuji Y. Br Dent J. 2023 Feb;234(4):197. doi: 10.1038/s41415-023-5585-3. Epub 2023 Feb 24. Br Dent J. 2023. PMID: 36828995 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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