COVID-19 Hastalarının Ağız Sağlığı ve COVID-19 arasındaki İlişki Hakkındaki Görüşü: COVID-19 Ev Karantinası Esnasında Verilen Yanıtlar

Abstract

Objective: Patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) have been reported to have a variety of oral symptoms, including acute periodontal lesions. However, there are a limited number of studies in the literature reporting the views of COVID-19 patients on oral health. The present study aims to examine the views of COVID-19 patients in-home quarantine regarding the possible relationship between oral health and COVID-19. Material and Methods: A face-to-face interview was conducted by the filiation team with 500 patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in-home quarantine, visited between January and April 2021. The patients were asked the question, “Do you think there is a relationship between COVID-19 and oral health?” The answers were analyzed by age, gender, and education level. Results: Of the 500 patients (290 female, age±SD, 38.2±12.7), 216 (43.2%) replied "yes". 50.7% of the females and 32.9% of the males responded stating that there is a relationship (p<0.05). Among the patients, 54.9% of those responded as "there is a relationship" were Bachelor’s/Master's graduates, while 66% of the patients who said, "there is no relationship" were primary school graduates (p<0.05). Conclusions: Among COVID-19 patients in-home quarantine, especially women and patients with higher education levels reported that there may be a relationship between oral health and COVID-19. It is crucial to inform all segments of society about the necessity of improving and maintaining oral hygiene during COVID-19 to reduce both the oral bacterial load and the risk of potential bacterial super-infections.