Doha: A Qatar University team has carried out research to determine the link between COVID-19 and oral health. 

The research team spearheaded by Dr. Nadia Maarouf, an Associate consultant from Hamad Dental Center, and led by Dr. Faleh Tamimi, Professor at Qatar University, speculated that this strong association between COVID-19 and oral health could be caused by periodontitis. 

Periodontitis causes a chronic inflammation that makes patients more susceptible to the severe and dangerous inflammation caused by COVID-19.

The researchers investigated the records of 568 patients who suffered from COVID-19.  They found that a significant portion of the patients who suffered severe COVID-19 complications and even death had advanced periodontitis, chronic inflammation of the gums. 

After adjusting for several factors such as patient’s age, gender, and chronic diseases, the link between periodontitis and COVID-19 complications was statistically significant, and it revealed that patients with periodontitis were at least three times more likely to experience COVID-19 complications regardless of age, gender, and other patients’ conditions.

Periodontitis is mostly caused by poor oral hygiene and lack of maintenance of the dental condition.

SOURCE: THEPENINSULAQATAR