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Robust Ligature-Induced Model of Murine Periodontitis for the Evaluation of Oral Neutrophils
Published on: January 21, 2020
Is periodontitis associated with the severity of COVID-19?
1National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD), Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Periodontitis significantly increases the risk of severe COVID-19 complications, including death and intensive care unit admission. This oral health condition is also linked to elevated inflammatory markers in patients with coronavirus disease 2019.
Area of Science:
- Periodontology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory oral condition, has been investigated for its potential systemic effects.
- The association between periodontitis and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity remains an area of active research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between periodontitis and the risk of COVID-19 complications.
- To assess the impact of periodontitis on COVID-19 patient outcomes and inflammatory markers.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study utilizing electronic health records from Hamad Medical Corporation (Qatar) involving 568 COVID-19 patients.
- Multivariate logistic regression was employed to analyze the association between periodontitis and COVID-19 complications, adjusting for confounders.
- Laboratory parameters were compared between COVID-19 patients with and without periodontitis.
Main Results:
- Patients with periodontitis had a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) for all COVID-19 complications (OR=3.67), death (OR=8.81), ICU admission (OR=3.54), and need for ventilation (OR=4.57).
- Periodontitis remained a significant risk factor across subgroups including age, diabetes, and smoking.
- Elevated levels of hemoglobin A1c, white blood cells, and C-reactive protein were observed in COVID-19 patients with periodontitis.
Conclusions:
- Periodontitis is significantly associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 complications and heightened inflammatory responses.
- The findings suggest a potential link between oral health and systemic outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
- Further high-quality research is warranted to confirm these associations and elucidate underlying mechanisms.
Abstract:
Data sources The national electronic health records of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in the State of Qatar.Data extraction and synthesis This case-control study included 568 patients from the HMC electronic database for data eliciting from 27 February 2020 to 31 July 2020. Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) complications were considered as cases. Controls were defined as COVID-19 patients without major complications (discharged). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association between the exposures (periodontitis, demographics and medical conditions) and outcomes (COVID-19 complications). The association was adjusted for possible confounding factors. Additionally, sensitivity analyses were performed to account for stronger risk factors of the determined complications. The results were reported using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Laboratory data (blood parameters concerning the course of COVID-19) were also compared between the case and control groups.Results The patients were divided into 40 cases and 528 controls. Among the patients with periodontitis, 12.8% (33/258) went through COVID-19 complications, whereas 2.2% (7/310) of those without periodontitis experienced complications. The adjusted OR of patients with periodontitis was 3.67 (95% CI 1.46-9.27) for all COVID-19 complications, 8.81 (95% CI 1.00-77.7) for death, 3.54 (95% CI 1.39-9.05) for intensive care unit admission and 4.57 (95% CI 1.19-17.4) for the need of assisted ventilation. After conducting subgroup analyses for age, diabetes and smoking, periodontitis was still significantly associated with all the outcomes. Laboratory biomarkers (haemoglobin A1c, white blood cells and C-reactive protein) had higher levels in COVID-19 patients with periodontitis than those without periodontal disease.Conclusions This study concluded that periodontitis was significantly associated with higher risks of COVID-19 complications and higher blood marker levels. These results, however, are not of high quality and further research in this regard is required.
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