The impact of COVID-19 on population oral health

Over the last year, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has accumulated over 37 million cases and over one million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2020). With no population immunity or vaccine at hand, all but fifteen countries issued 'stay at home' orders in a bid to contain the spread of the virus and limit the healthcare burden. 'Lockdown' included closure of dental practices. Both the virus itself and the various Government responses have had a profound impact on the work, home and social lives of the entire population and are likely to impact the oral health of many people. These oral health effects can be attributed to those caused directly by the virus and those caused indirectly through the subsequent societal response. Direct effects of COVID-19 on oral health include ageusia (an official symptom of COVID-19) and case reports of vesiculobullous lesions and necrotising periodontal disease (Patel and Woolley 2020). The ageusia associated with COVID-19 is transient and reports of other oral manifestations are based on low-grade and disputed evidence. The direct effects of COVID-19 are likely to be of modest consequence for population oral health.