State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Oral medicine, School of Stomatology, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China.
Department of Microbiology & Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China.
BMC Oral Health. 2024 Oct 23;24(1):1265. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-05058-z.
Oral complications such as parageusia, xerostomia, and oral ulcers are frequently observed in patients with COVID-19. The aim of this study was to understand the oral complications and their influencing factors during the two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in China between December 2022 and May 2023.
A total of 347 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic from December 2022 and January 2023 and 163 patients during the second COVID-19 pandemic were recruited through the Disease Prevention and Control Reporting System. Data on oral complications were collected via researcher-made questionnaires.
During both pandemic periods, more than 50% of the subjects developed oral complications. Specifically, the incidence of parageusia, pathological tongue coating, and xerostomia all exceeded 20%, while the incidence of oral ulcers surpassed 7%. Patients with allotriosmia and xerostomia had a significantly higher likelihood of developing other oral complications. Hospitalized patients requiring supplemental oxygen had a significantly higher incidence of oral complications.
The results of our study underline that oral complications during the COVID-19 pandemic are prevalent, and their incidence has not decreased during the subsequent pandemic. In the context of the ongoing global spread of COVID-19, this study lays the foundation for physicians in recognizing and managing oral complications, which will improve the oral health of communities globally.
新冠病毒（COVID-19）患者常出现味觉障碍、口干和口腔溃疡等口腔并发症。本研究旨在了解中国 COVID-19 疫情两波期间（2022 年 12 月至 2023 年 5 月）的口腔并发症及其影响因素。
通过疾病预防控制报告系统，招募了 2022 年 12 月至 2023 年 1 月 COVID-19 疫情期间的 347 例患者和第二波 COVID-19 疫情期间的 163 例患者。通过研究者自制问卷收集口腔并发症数据。
在两个流行期间，超过 50%的受试者出现口腔并发症。具体来说，味觉障碍、病理性舌苔和口干的发生率均超过 20%，口腔溃疡的发生率超过 7%。出现嗅觉异常和口干的患者发生其他口腔并发症的可能性显著更高。需要补充氧气的住院患者口腔并发症的发生率显著更高。
本研究结果表明，COVID-19 大流行期间口腔并发症普遍存在，且在后续流行期间并未减少。在全球 COVID-19 持续传播的背景下，本研究为医生识别和处理口腔并发症奠定了基础，这将提高全球社区的口腔健康水平。
