Oral mucosa lesions in confirmed and non-vaccinated cases for COVID-19: A systematic review

The Oral Lesion in the COVID-19 Patient: Is It True Oral Manifestation or Not?

Objective

Many previously reported publications mentioned that oral lesion in COVID-19 patients was varied. The term oral manifestations refer to pathognomonic features that are found consistently with a specific cause and effect. In this context, the oral manifestation of COVID-19 was inconclusive. This systematic review aimed to analyse previously reported publications related to oral lesions in COVID-19 patients to define as oral manifestations or not. The PRISMA guidelines were implemented in this review.

Methods

All umbrella reviews, systematic reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, comprehensive reviews, and original and non-original studies were included. Twenty-one of systematic review, 32 original studies and 68 non-original studies reported the oral lesion in COVID-19 patients.

Results

Most of the publications mentioned that ulcers, macular, pseudomembranes and crusts were frequent oral lesions. The reported oral lesions in COVID-19 patients did not show any pathognomonic features and might be unrelated directly to COVID-19 infections, however, more likely due to gender, age, underlying diseases, and medication.

Conclusion

The oral lesions found in previous studies do not have pathognomonic features and are inconsistent. Therefore, the reported oral lesion, in present time, cannot be defined as an oral manifestation.

Changes in the organs and tissues of the oral cavity in the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19): A review

SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause changes in the organs and tissues of the oral cavity, which is associated with a wide distribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 in the oral cavity, mainly epithelial cells of the oral mucosa, gums and fibroblasts of the periodontal ligament. Thus, the oral mucosa is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and may act as a gateway for the virus, as well as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. We searched the literature for the period from the beginning of the pandemic until May 30, 2022, devoted to the study of changes in the organs and tissues of the oral cavity with a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the electronic search engines PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. A special place in the study of changes in the organs and tissues of the oral cavity with a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is occupied by periodontal pathology. A number of reviews and clinical studies conclude the importance of good oral hygiene and periodontal health as an important aspect of COVID-19 prevention and management. Oral probiotics can be considered as a promising direction for correcting changes in organs and tissues of the oral cavity in COVID-19.