ORAL MANIFESTATIONS OF SARS-COV-2 INFECTED PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of oral signs, manifestations, and symptoms in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2. STUDY DESIGN: The study sample included 179 hospital patients with COVID-19 confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Sociodemographic and medical variables were obtained through questionnaires and medical records, and oral signs, manifestations, and symptoms were assessed by clinical examination. RESULTS: Most of the cases were male patients (n = 98; 54.7%), and the mean age across all participants was 51.4 ± 18.6 years. Oral lesions were observed in 117 patients(65.3%). Of these, 73 were primary signs of SARS-CoV-2 infection (62.4%), 12 opportunistic infections (10.3%), and 32 autoimmune and inflammatory lesions (27.3%). In relation to primary lesions, 3 patterns were observed: aphthous-like ulcerations (n = 38; 52%), hemorrhagic ulcers (n = 14;19.2%), and petechiae (n = 21; 28.8%). Symptoms of taste disorders were observed in 94 patients (52.5%), including dysgeusia (n = 43; 45.7%), hypogeusia (n = 22; 23.4%), and ageusia (n = 29; 30.8%). Additionally, 81 patients reported dry mouth symptoms (45.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Oral manifestations of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients are relatively common and may represent primary signs and symptoms of the disease, thus highlighting the importance of dentists in the hospital setting or intensive care units to manage patients with COVID-19.