Oral Manifestations of COVID-19 Infection: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

ObjectivesThe current COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge impact across the globe. Recent literature has reported the occurrence of varied oral lesions in COVID-19 patients in the form of sporadic case reports. This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out to gauge and understand the pattern of oral lesions in qualitative RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients.MethodsA cross-sectional study involves a total of 500 qualitative RT-PCR confirmed, hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were meticulously scanned for any hard and soft tissue lesions developing concomitantly with the disease occurrence.ResultsThis study included a total of 367 (73.4%) males and 133 (26.6%) female patients with a mean age of 53.46 ± 17.50 years. Almost 51.2% of patients presented with gustatory disturbance, 28% with xerostomia and 15.4% of patients were found to have oral findings like erythema, ulcers, depapillation of tongue. There was a statistically significant correlation between oral manifestations and disease severity (p ≤ 0.001).ConclusionCOVID-19 is found to effect oral health with greater probability in patients with severe diseases (SARI) which may be due to disease itself, immune response and lack of motivation for personal hygiene measures.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12663-021-01679-x.     

Hyposalivation and Xerostomia in Dentate Older Adults

BackgroundOlder adults are susceptible to reduced saliva production related to certain medications, radiation and chronic conditions. Many of these people have many physical and oral health problems and limited access to dental care. The use of effective screening tools for xerostomia and hyposalivation would be helpful in identifying those at risk. The authors conducted a study to investigate the association between three measures of oral dryness: hyposalivation (low unstimulated salivary flow), self-reported xerostomia and clinically assessed dry mouth.MethodsThe authors included a convenience sample of 252 nondemented and dentate West Virginia participants 70 years and older who were part of a larger study on oral health and cognition among older adults. Participants completed a self-reported xerostomia index, provided an unstipulated salivary sample and underwent an oral assessment for the study.ResultsTwenty-eight participants (11.1 percent) had hyposalivation, eight of whom reported having xerostomia (sensitivity = 28.6 percent). Of the 43 participants who reported having xerostomia, only eight had hyposalivation (positive predictive value = 18.6 percent). Hyposalivation and self-reported xerostomia were not significantly related. Clinically assessed dry mouth correlated modestly, but significantly, with hyposalivation and self-reported xerostomia.ConclusionsObtaining routine unstimulated salivary flow rates in addition to self-reported information and oral evaluations may increase early detection of oral dryness, which would assist in implementing early interventions to improve patients' quality of life.Clinical ImplicationsVisually inspecting oral tissues for dryness and asking a patient if his or her mouth is dry are insufficient measures for clinicians to use to determine if the patient has hyposalivation. The authors recommend that clinicians determine the patient's unstimulated salivary flow rate.     

Granulomatous diseases: Oral manifestations and recommendations

Granulomatous diseases may present with oral manifestations that are detectable by dental care providers. In certain cases, oral manifestations may precede systemic signs and symptoms. Dentists managing patients with these conditions may modify the dental treatment plan and possibly retain the support of other health professionals. This review gives an update on granulomatous diseases that can be faced by the dental practitioner.     

Oral abnormalities in an Iranian newborn population

ObjectiveThe prevalence of oral findings in newborn infants in Iran is not known, as only isolated case reports have been published. We determined the prevalence of intraoral findings in a group of newborns and assessed the relationship between these findings and maternal systemic and gestational medical complications during pregnancy and parental consanguinity.Study designA total of 995 newborn children were examined in Hafiz Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. Oral cysts, ankyloglossia, an attached upper midline frenum, and other medical diagnoses at birth were investigated. Medical information for each child and parent was recorded via a standard questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the Pearson χ² test (P < 0.05).ResultsThe most common findings were oral cysts (15%). There were significant relationships between oral cyst prevalence and parental consanguinity (P = 0.009) and between the presence of at least one finding and medication consumption during pregnancy (P = 0.04).ConclusionsSome 32.3% of the neonates examined had at least one oral finding within 3 days of birth, of which the most common was oral cyst. Parental consanguinity and drug intake during pregnancy were correlated with the occurrence of oral findings.     

Oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe: Oral findings

Lowe syndrome is characterized by abnormalities of the eyes, central nervous system and kidneys, caused by a mutation of the oculocerebrorenal gene on the X-chromosome. Oral features associated with this syndrome include enamel hypoplasia, chronic gingivitis and mobile teeth, with few studies focusing on these features. The present case report describes the oral and dental findings of a 10-year-old boy with Lowe syndrome, who was followed for 4 years. In spite of several treatment sessions and oral hygiene appointments, the chronic gingivitis with anterior fibrotic gingiva has increased over time, as well as the mobility of the anterior permanent teeth.     

Oral Health Self-Care Behaviors of Rural Older Adults

Objectives: This analysis describes the dental self-care behaviors used by a multiethnic sample of older adults and delineates the associations of self-care behaviors with personal characteristics and oral health problems. Methods: A cross-sectional comprehensive oral health survey conducted with a random, multiethnic (African-American, American Indian, white) sample of 635 community-dwelling rural adults aged 60 years and older was completed in two rural southern counties. Results: Rural older adults engage in a variety of self-care behaviors, including the use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicine (12.1 percent), OTC dental products (84.0 percent), salt (50.9 percent), prayer (6.1 percent), and complementary therapies (18.2 percent). Some gender and ethnic class differences are apparent, with greater use by women of OTC medicine and salt and greater use by African-Americans and American Indians of OTC medicine and OTC dental products. The use of dental self-care behaviors appears to be driven by need. Those reporting oral pain, bleeding gums, and dry mouth have greater odds of engaging in most of the dental self-care behaviors, including the use of complementary therapies. Conclusions: The major factor leading to the use of self-care behaviors is need. Although oral pain does increase the use of self-care behaviors, so do bleeding gums and dry mouth. Research and practice should address self-care behaviors used for oral health problems in addition to pain. Investigators should expand analysis of dental self-care behavior and the relationship of self-care behavior to the use of professional services. Further research also should explore the use of complementary therapies in dental self-care.     

Oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS in clients attending TASO clinics in Uganda

The objective of the study is to establish the prevalence of oral manifestations and their influence on oral functions. A total of 514 subjects aged 18 to 58 years (mean 42 years) were randomly recruited from five The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) clinics in Uganda. They were clinically examined for oral lesions under field conditions by four trained dentists based on World Health Organization criteria. Women constituted 74.5% of the study population. Oral manifestations were recorded in 72% of the subjects, out of which 70% had candidiasis of pseudomembranous, erythematous, and angular cheilitis variants. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, atypical ulcers, necrotizing periodontitis, and hairy leucoplakia were least frequently observed in the subjects. Of those who had oral lesions (n = 370), 68.4% had some form of discomfort in the mouth. Tooth brushing, chewing, and swallowing were frequently associated with discomfort. Reported forms of discomfort were dry mouth, increased salivation, and burning sensation especially on taking salty and spicy foods or acidic drinks. Only 8.5% (n = 44) of the subjects were taking medications specifically for oral lesions, which included antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial agents. None of the subjects were on antiretroviral therapy. Oral lesions associated with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in TASO clients is a major public health problem requiring education in recognition and appropriate management.     

江苏省居民口腔健康行为调查

目的:调查江苏省南京市城区、仪征化纤股份有限公司社区和句容农村35~44岁居民的口腔健康行为,并初步分析居民利用口腔卫生服务的因素。方法:采用问卷调查方法由经培训的问卷人员对502名南京等地的居民进行面对面访谈,收集城乡居民的口腔健康行为及相关影响因素。结果:城乡居民在每天刷牙次数、定期更换牙刷、定期洁牙等基本的口腔卫生保健措施方面存在高度显著性差异(P<0.01)。结论:城乡居民对口腔健康知识认识仍不足,牙科卫生服务利用较低,并多为口腔疾病症状所致,主动接受口腔预防措施少,口腔健康知识和行为亟待改进。