The mouth is the mirror to ones health. The connection is mutual. When there is poor systemic health, the mouth often reacts with inflammation, xerostomia, periodontal disease... When we take certain medications or undergo hormonal changes, our mouth reflects this...
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified a new virus, SARS-CoV-2, to be a global emergency, and on March 11, 2020, declared it a pandemic. As the death toll keeps climbing, the CDC now predicts the virus will be among the leading cause of death, just behind heart disease and cancer.
Respiratory diseases, like those caused by COVID-19, predispose patients to bacterial superinfections that complicate disease treatments. Oral bacteria have been implicated in those bacterial superinfections. This lecture presentation will highlight biologic mechanisms on the association of periodontal disease and COVID-19-related pulmonary problems. Stressing the importance of maintenance of oral hygiene...implications to dentists and to the public. Future directions would be development of vaccines, antiviral treatment strategies and genetic testing.