Association of self-reported periodontal disease and inequities with long haul COVID-19.

In 2000, the Surgeon General's report highlighted that the mouth is a mirror for overall health of an individual and that disparities in oral health are directly proportionate to general health inequities. Among patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are the most common comorbidities; several studies support the association of these conditions with periodontal disease. This study's main aim is to assess the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations from lower socioeconomic statuses. The study also aims to assess the association of self-reported periodontal disease with COVID-19 disease course and severity. A sample population of Indiana residents with positive diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 were recruited. A validated survey tool was sent to this cohort inquiring about sociodemographic distribution; co-morbid conditions, current symptoms of "long haul COVID," course of their COVID-19 infection; history of periodontal disease, existing periodontal disease symptoms, and oral hygiene habits. 209 individuals with a history of positive COVID test were returned to the survey, and association of participant characteristics and periodontal disease-related survey items with COVID-related survey items were evaluated using chi-square tests. Lower sense of smell ratings was associated with less education (p = 0.021), being unemployed/disabled (p = 0.008), worse health status (p<0.001), more frequent bleeding gums (p = 0.031), more frequent toothache (p<0.001), lower oral health rating (p = 0.002), and vaccine status (p = 0.011). Lower sense of taste ratings were associated with older age (p = 0.018), worse health (p<0.001), more frequent bleeding gums (p<0.001), more frequent mobile or loose tooth (p = 0.010), presence of gum disease (p<0.001), more frequent loss of teeth (p = 0.013), more frequent toothache (p<0.001), worse oral health (p = 0.001), teeth lost due to gum disease (p = 0.006), and vaccine status (p = 0.001). History of hospitalization due to COVID-19 was found to be associated with a history of gum disease within the past 12 months.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2024 Alhaffar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)