COVID-19 is a raging pandemic that continues to take its toll globally. But do you know gum disease can aggravate the complications associated with COVID-19? According to a study that appeared in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, a strong connection was found between COVID-19 complications and periodontitis, more the reason you should address any gum-related ailment by consulting a dentist in Heidelberg.
The
researchers, after examining 500+ COVID-19 patients observed that those suffering
from gum disease had a greater risk of developing complications and their
situation could turn from bad to worse (https://www.perio.org/periodontitis_COVID-19_complications and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-021-2868-4). These patients were
more likely to be put on ventilator support in an ICU. So, what prompted the
researchers to suspect a connection between COVID-19 and gum disease, let us
find out.
What is the connection between COVID-19 and gum disease?
It has been found that 14% of patients
suffering from SARS-CoV-2 virus (coronavirus) are likely to develop severe
complications such as sepsis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and
multi-organ failure – symptoms of cytokine storm syndrome, a severe immune
response. Periodontitis remains one of the common gum diseases that affect many
around the world either in mild or moderate form. In a patient suffering from
severe periodontitis, the attachment holding the supporting tissues around the
tooth gets destroyed. This can lead to a loss of tooth if not taken care of by
an experienced dental professional such as a dentist in Carlton.
In fact, patients suffering from
periodontitis have chronic inflammation, which can cause systemic inflammation.
Cases of severe periodontitis have shown increased levels of cytokines such as
CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor) – alpha, interleukins,
and ferritin. Further, patients with severe periodontitis seem to have a strong
association with morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc. The
similarities between COVID-19 and periodontitis (especially the cytokines
factor) prompted researchers to conduct a study to assess the extent of the connection
between the two.
How the study was conducted
A case-control study involving the national
health records of the citizens in Qatar from February 2020 to July 2020 was
conducted. Accordingly, patients suffering from acute complications of COVID-19
such as assisted ventilation, ICU admission, and others were marked as “cases”
while those without any major complications and discharged from the hospital
were marked as “controls”.
The periodontal status of both the groups
including their interdental bone loss was assessed using dental radiographs
uploaded in the health records. Other information related to risk factors such
as smoking habit, diabetes, and body mass index was considered as well. Besides,
relevant blood parameters such as C-reactive protein, D-dimer, vitamin D, and
WBC levels were extracted from the records for assessment. Thereafter, the
association between periodontitis and COVID-19 was studied using logistic
regression.
Findings of the study
Out of a total of 568 patients studied, 528
were discharged as there were no complications (controls) while 40 patients
were found to have severe complications (cases). The findings of the study are
as follows:
· About 80% of patients suffering from severe COVID-19 complications (cases) had periodontitis
· Among the deceased patients, the levels of D-dimer, CRP, and WBC were significantly high while the lymphocytes levels were significantly low – compared to the discharged patients (controls)
· Patients with periodontitis showed a greater risk of suffering from COVID-19 related complications, assisted ventilation, ICU admission, and even death
· The WBC, HBC 1c, and CRP blood levels were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients with periodontitis compared to COVID-19 patients without periodontitis
·
The successful treatment of periodontitis
showed improvement in the serum markers of inflammation and an overall
metabolic control
Conclusion
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