COVID-19 & Periodontitis: The cytokine connection

COVID-19 is now recognized as a pandemic throughout the world, leading to a scramble in order to gather knowledge as well as evidence regarding the ‘novel’ corona virus which causes this disease. Chemokines are a family of cytokines which are chemotactic in nature and cause the recruitment of cells of inflammation. Periodontitis has long been attributed to having its pathophysiology rooted in a cytokine response. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has been reported to have adverse outcomes related to the establishment of a cytokine storm, many of the components of which are common with the cytokine expression profile of periodontitis. This communication explores the connection between COVID-19 and periodontal disease through their cytokine connection to form a translational basis for recommending maintenance of oral hygiene in the COVID era and to red flag patients with periodontitis as having an increased risk of exhibiting COVID related adverse outcomes.