Public awareness of the neurological manifestation of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Oral adverse events following COVID-19 and influenza vaccination in Australia

Vaccine hesitancy, spurred by misinterpretation of Adverse Events (AEs), threatens public health. Despite sporadic reports of oral AEs post-COVID-19 vaccination, systematic analysis is scarce. This study evaluates these AEs using the Australian Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN). A secondary analysis of DAEN data was conducted, with the analysis period commencing from the start of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in February 2021 and the inception of the influenza vaccine database in 1971, both through until December 2022. The focus of the analysis was on oral AEs related to COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Reports were extracted according to a predefined schema and then stratified by vaccine type, sex, and age. Oral paresthesia was the most common oral AE after COVID-19 vaccination (75.28 per 10,000 reports), followed by dysgeusia (73.96), swollen tongue (51.55), lip swelling (49.43), taste disorder (27.32), ageusia (25.85), dry mouth (24.75), mouth ulceration (18.97), oral hypoaesthesia (15.60), and oral herpes (12.74). While COVID-19 and influenza vaccines shared most oral AEs, taste-related AEs, dry mouth, and oral herpes were significantly more common after COVID-19 vaccination. mRNA vaccines yielded more oral AEs than other types. Females had higher oral AE incidence. Most oral AEs did not differ significantly between COVID-19 and influenza vaccination. However, specific oral AEs, particularly taste-related, dry mouth, and oral herpes, were more prevalent after COVID-19 vaccination compared with seasonal influenza, especially in females and mRNA vaccine recipients.

Oral Adverse Events Following COVID-19 Vaccination: Analysis of VAERS Reports

Background

Oral adverse events (AEs) following COVID-19 vaccination have been sporadically reported during the previous months, warranting further investigation for their prevalence and suspected relationship with vaccine-elicited immune response.

Methods

A retrospective analysis using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data was conducted to evaluate AEs within the oral cavity (mucosa, tongue, lips, palate, dentition, salivary glands) and AEs involving taste and other sensations. Oral AEs reported after receiving COVID-19 vaccination (test group) and seasonal influenza vaccination (control group) were extracted and cross-tabulated to assess their relative prevalence.

Results

Among the 128 solicited (suspected) oral AEs, oral paresthesia (0.872%) was most reported after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, followed by the swelling of lips (0.844%), ageusia (0.722%), oral hypoesthesia (0.648%), swollen tongue (0.628%), and dysgeusia (0.617%). The reported prevalence of oral AEs was higher in the COVID-19 vaccine group than in the seasonal influenza group. The distribution pattern of the most reported oral AEs was similar for both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines. Female sex, older age (>39 years old), primer doses, and mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines exhibited a higher reported prevalence of oral AEs.

Conclusion

Within the limitations of this study, COVID-19 vaccines were found to be associated with rare oral AEs that are predominantly similar to those emerging following seasonal influenza vaccines. The most commonly reported oral AEs were oral paraesthesia (mouth-tingling), lip swelling, and ageusia, representing various pathophysiologic pathways that remain unclear. Taste-related AEs should be acknowledged in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the public should be adequately informed about a potential taste dysfunction after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Dentists and dental teams need to be aware of the prevalence, severity, and prognosis of oral AEs to inform their patients and increase public confidence in vaccines.

COVID-19 and Saudi Arabia: Awareness, Attitude, and Practice

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has transformed our appreciation of healthcare awareness worldwide. The amount of related data accumulated during this time has surpassed any other outbreak of a viral pathogen. Healthcare awareness is related to one of the nine pillars of the “World health organization (WHO) operational planning guidelines to support country preparedness and response”. This review is structured around the awareness/knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)-related publications in Saudi Arabia up to date to understand the impact of COVID-19 on these domains. The excellent communication effort response from governments, international, and individuals to keep the public informed about the outbreak is highlighted. Unraveling such impacts on the Saudi communities, including healthcare workers (HCWs)/professionals (HCPs), students, patients with different diseases, and non-professional individuals, is essential in containing the outbreak and planning preventive measures in case of future outbreaks.