Of all the industries heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, dentistry stands somewhere on top. As the profession requires looking through a person’s mouth, which just so happens to be a cesspool for bacteria, and potentially, dentists have had no option but to sideline even the most basic of procedures. In this blog, we will take a look at the real impact of the Coronavirus on your oral health.
Dental issues go untreated.
Since many dentists have stopped taking patients into their practices for over a year now due to the aerosolization of dental liquids, people with toothaches caused by conditions like root canal infections are left to fend for themselves. The same goes for when you have any form of gum issues. Considering people have been spending most of their time indoors over the last year, their tendency to snack on junk food has only rocketed skyward, which could partially lead to gum diseases that would require immediate treatment. Again, they won’t be able to get the necessary fix for their situation due to increased chances of contracting the virus.
New Research Links Gum Disease To Covid-19 Complications.
A recent study published in EFP’s Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JCP) points out that dental complications like periodontitis have far worse consequences in patients with Covid-19.
Conducted in Qatar, the case-control study involved a total of 568 patients with periodontitis, all of whom ran a higher risk of admission to ICUs, need for ventilators, or even death if infected with Covid-19. Researchers conducted the study by collecting information on gum disease and other factors that could lead to Covid-19 complications such as smoking, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, body mass index, and chemicals that could lead to inflammation of organs.
A very concerning statistic to emerge from the study is that people with periodontitis are 4.5 times more likely to need a ventilator, 3.5 times more likely to be admitted to ICU, and 9 times more likely to die when compared to those without gum diseases. Of the 568 test subjects, 40 had complications (ICU admission, ventilator requirement, or death).
Bottom line, in a covid-ridden world, it has become imperative, now more than ever, to make dental health a key priority and to follow routines like brushing and flossing twice a day so as to keep dental complications away.
