Periodontal Disease As Risk Factor For Severity Of Covid-19 Infection: A Hospital Base Comparison Study

Abstract

Introduction: Periodontal Disease is group of diseases characterized by gingivitis to destruction of supporting structure of teeth. A chronic inflammatory process usually initiated by local factors like dental plaque and calculus further associated with systemic factors and depicted by biomarkers like bradykinin and cytokines along with certain comorbidities, cardiovascular, diabetes, responsible for atherosclerosis as determined in severity of Covid-19 infection.

Objective: This study aims and objectives was to assess periodontal disease as risk factor for severity of corona disease as per WHO Oral Health Assessment criteria from survivor of corona infection from our national data.

Methodology: A hospital base comparison study to determine association of periodontal disease with severity of the Covid-19 infection among patients with rCT-PCR positive who suffered from survival of at corona infection dedicated hospital national data Pakistan. Periodontal disease assessment determined by WHO define criteria through Oral Health Assessment.

Results: The prevalence of mild periodontal disease was 42 (11.0%), moderate77 (20.1%) severe form 186 (48.6%) while advance periodontitis was 78 (20.4%). From the study final model revealed association of periodontal disease with severity of Covid-19 infection as adjusted Odd’s Ratio 9.567, P-value 0.000 and its 95% CI, 1.982 – 46.186. Similarly, patients of diabetes mellitus aOR 36.739 was statistically significance < 0.017 with 95% CI 1.924 – 701.666, lactase dehydrate enzyme aOR analysis 0.100, P-value < 0.010 and 95% CI 0.017 – 0.575 and for C-reactive protein OR 0.028, P-Value < 0.006 and its 95% CI 0.002 – 0.362. The study results identifying the public health implication of periodontal disease with severity of corona infection through simple routine investigation of biomarkers.

Conclusion: Periodontal disease has an association with severity of the Covid-19 infection and the finding is further explained by the presence of certain inflammatory mediators as biomarkers like serum ferritin, cytokines as C-reactive protein in association history of chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular. The study result also determine that severity of the Covid-19 is preventable through simple measures of oral hygiene maintenance for its better prognosis through control of the periodontal disease, simple measure of public health implication in our setting.