ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Dental and Oral Science 2023 Oct 25

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6329.23.04870-2

Copyright © 2023 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Assessment of oral tissue alterations in patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2

Aida METO ^{1, 2, 3}, Arben NDREU ^{4, 5}, Emiljano TRAGAJ ¹, Cesare D’AMICO ^{1, 6}, Agron METO ¹, Luca FIORILLO ^{1, 6, 7, 8} ✉

¹ Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Aldent, Tirana, Albania; ² School of Dentistry, Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; ³ Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dr. D.Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, India; ⁴ Intensive Care Unit, Service of Infectious Diseases, Mother Theresa University Hospital Center, Tirana, Albania; ⁵ Department of Prosthetics and Dental Technology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Aldent, Tirana, Albania; ⁶ Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences, and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; ⁷ Department of Prosthodontics, Dr. D.Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, India; ⁸ Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, Naples, Italy

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate oral mucosal changes in patients with confirmed moderate-scale severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
METHODS: We analyzed 85 COVID-19 patients (50 males, 35 females) with an average age of 53.6 years, treated at the prehospital infectious disease center and Aldent University Clinic in Tirana, Albania, from May 2021 to June 2022.
RESULTS: Elevated C-reactive protein levels were observed in 82 patients (±44.20), with 20 patients showing significant fibrinogen increase (mean ± 5.85 g/L), and 22 patients having elevated D-Dimer (mean ± 336.6 mg/mL). Despite the absence of anticoagulant history, 13 patients exhibited bleeding. Xerodermia, xerostomia, and angular cheilitis were noted, with 41 patients displaying angular cheilitis. In 82 patients, oral mucosal and tongue examinations revealed color changes from white to bright yellow, with brown edema. Pigmentation in the fixed gingiva of upper and lower front teeth was observed in 35 patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Oral mucosal changes during COVID-19 appear more influenced by drug treatment and disease progression than the infection itself, suggesting that secondary factors play a significant role. Despite the oral cavity’s potential for viral entry, these changes seem connected to other underlying causes.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Xerostomia; Ichthyosis; Mouth; Hydroxychloroquine