Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 6: Dr Gautam Sharma, former president of Indian Dental Association (IDA), Jammu, today said that the research throughout the world on Coronavirus has indicated that the dental diseases may complicate COVID-19.
He said a study by Dr Marouf and co-associates published in 2021 conducted on 568 patients using the national electronic health records of the State of Qatar between February and July 2020, has clearly indicated that 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.
“Scientific rationale for Dr Marouf’s study was to find whether COVID-19 complications are caused by a severe inflammatory reaction that shares some common signals with periodontitis,” Dr Sharma said, adding, this study was designed to investigate a possible association between COVID-19 complications and the presence of periodontitis.
He said that the principle findings of this study revealed that periodontitis could be a risk factor for COVID-19 complications. This study identified that the risk of COVID-19 complications was significantly higher among patients with moderate-to-severe periodontitis compared to those with milder or no periodontitis, he added.
“This study found that the fatal COVID-19 outcomes were significantly associated with higher blood concentrations of D-dimer, WBC and CRP, and lower concentrations of lymphocytes. Also, patients admitted to the ICU as well as those requiring assisted ventilation presented high blood levels of CRP and D-dimer,” Dr Sharma stated.
He stressed that maintenance of good oral hygiene is of utmost important not only during COVID-19 pandemic but at all times. “Consultation with a dentist is must every 6 months and if you see symptoms like bleeding gums, bad breath or you feel mobility in teeth, then immediately consult a Periodontist,” he asserted.
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