COVID-19 AND ITS ORAL MANIFESTATIONS IN POPULATION OF ISLAMABAD AND RAWALPINDI: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective:
 To assess the oral manifestations in the people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi affected with COVID-19.
 Materials and Methods:Study design and setting: It is descriptive cross sectional study which was conducted on 250 both male and females participants who had suffered from COVID-19 over the duration of 6 months in Islamic International Dental Hospital Islamabad. Participants were from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Questionnaire: Subjects participated in a web based questionnaire assessing the oral manifestations of COVID-19. These included facial pain, pain while eating(masticatory pain) , burning sensation in the oral cavity, dryness of mouth (xerostomia), loss of taste and oral mucosal lesions. 
 Results:
 Out of 250, 105male and 145 females participate in this study. 40 % (n=100) participants experienced pain in the face region out of whom 40% (n=40) had pain in the head region. 46% participants reported to have pain on mastication out of which 47.8% had pain on messeter muscle. 46% participants had burning sensations in the oral cavity.60% participant’s experienced dry mouth. Moreover 70% participants experienced loss of taste sensations. Only 24% reported with oral mucosal lesions.6% participants developed blisters/ulcers out of which majority developed them on the tongue.
 Conclusion:
 This study concluded that oral manifestations are important for early detection of COVID-19 patients and majority of these patients showed loss of taste.