Introduction: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease, is a newly emerged virus with established effects on various systems such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological systems. Recently, the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and oral cavity lesions in COVID-19 patients has been appraised. The objective of this research is to analyze the literature on the clinical indications of COVID-19 in the oral cavity and their correlation with oral hygiene.
Methods: English language publications from 2019 up to August 2023 on COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, oral health, and oral lesions were searched on PubMed. This research included all related original, case-report, and review studies.
Results: There is a significant correlation between COVID-19 and oral health, despite the limited number of studies conducted on the subject. The correlation between COVID-19 symptoms and oral health status cannot be ignored. It is essential to be aware of any changes in your oral health, as it can possibly indicate a COVID-19 infection. Therefore, paying attention to any oral symptoms, such as dry mouth, altered taste, or lesions, is crucial. It is highly recommended to seek medical attention immediately if any of these symptoms appear. Stay vigilant and prioritize your health during these unprecedented times. The cytokines released in COVID-19 patients, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, are pro-inflammatory cytokines found in oral diseases that can cause oral cavity lesions. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have most commonly experienced recurrent aphthous-like lesions, herpetic lesions, candidiasis, periodontitis, and periapical periodontitis, which can serve as an early indication of COVID-19. Moreover, the presence of viral entry factors like ACE2 in epithelial cells of the oral mucosa suggests a strong correlation between the salivary viral load and COVID-19 symptoms such as taste loss.
Conclusion: Practitioners and dentists must be vigilant in detecting various lesions in the oral cavity caused by the cytokine storm in COVID-19. These lesions serve as a crucial early indication of COVID-19. However, discovering various forms of COVID-19 oral lesions necessitates extensive research.