Oral Manifestations and Complications of COVID-19
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has revealed a spectrum of oral presentations, from early taste disturbances and dry mouth to more severe mucosal lesions and salivary gland dysfunction. Acute signs include dysgeusia, xerostomia and ulcerative or vesiculobullous mucositis, often correlating with viral presence in saliva. In prolonged or severe cases, patients develop salivary gland ectasia, periodontal inflammation and Sjögren’s-like autoimmune sequelae, reflecting microvascular thrombosis, immune-mediated tissue injury and microbial dysbiosis. Recognition of these oral findings informs saliva-based diagnostics, infection control in dental settings and multidisciplinary management of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
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Oral Manifestations and Complications of COVID-19 publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in oral manifestations and complications of covid-19 across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
ACE2 receptor: A host cell surface protein that mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry into oral epithelial and glandular cells.
Dysgeusia: Alteration or loss of taste sensation experienced by some COVID-19 patients.
Xerostomia: Dry-mouth sensation resulting from reduced saliva secretion or glandular dysfunction.
Mucositis: Inflammation and ulceration of the oral mucosal lining.
Acinar cell: The secretory unit of salivary glands responsible for producing serous or mucous components of saliva.
Myoepithelial cell: Contractile cells surrounding acini that facilitate saliva expulsion from glands.
References
- SARS‐CoV‐2, periodontal pathogens, and host factors: The trinity of oral post‐acute sequelae of COVID‐19. Reviews in Medical Virology (2024).
- Evidence of a Sjögren's disease-like phenotype following COVID-1 19 in mice and human. JCI Insight (2023).
- Submandibular Gland Pathogenesis Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Implications for Xerostomia. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- The oral manifestations and related mechanisms of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience (2023).
- Detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in saliva and characterization of oral symptoms in COVID‐19 patients. Cell Proliferation (2020).
- Frequent and Persistent Salivary Gland Ectasia and Oral Disease After COVID-19. Journal of Dental Research (2021).
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