Periodontal Disease In Medically Compromised Patients And Its Relation With Covid-19

Periodontal diseases can have systemic effects on our body. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension etc., have a history of being associated with periodontal disease. Periodontal disease could indicate the severity of Covid-19. There has been no previous reporting of oral health status in Covid-19 patients. The knowledge of association of periodontal disease with severe Covid-19 could be an important contribution to slowing down the rate and spread of infection. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease which involves gingiva and the supporting tissues like cementum, alveolar bone and periodontal ligament. It has affected nearly about 10 - 12 % of the total population in the world. Periodontal disease is more prevalent in medically compromised patients with diseases like asthma, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, kidney diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. The other risk factors for the occurrence of periodontal disease are tobacco smoking, ageing, poor oral hygiene, obesity etc.1 Coronavirus (CoV) belongs to Coronaviridae family which are RNA viruses. Their size varies from 60 - 140 nanometre with spike-like projections on its surface. This strain of viruses is considered to be zoonotic in nature and cause respiratory illness in humans.1 This viral disease has affected lakhs of people in United States and had resulted in a high mortality rate. It was declared a pandemic by WHO on the 11th of March 2020. Comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, ageing, obesity and gender pose a greater risk for Covid-19. We wanted to evaluate as to whether periodontal disease along with comorbid conditions share a contributing risk factor for developing Covid-19.