Question

Potential short- and long-term effects on oral health due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Answer 1

Oral health and COVID 19

COVID 19 or the Novel CoronaVirus Disease is a highly contagious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Disease Corona Virus 2. WHO declared this disease as a Pandemic. The major symptoms are fever, cough, breathing difficulty, loss of smell and taste. In some individuals it is asymptomatic.

Short term and long term effects on oral health :

The main mode of transmission of COVID 19 is droplets. The risk of infection transmission is very high in the Dental practice and settings as the virus mainly spread through the droplets of saliva and discharge from nose and throat. Most of the countries and states are announced lockdown , especially majority of the Dental facilities are closed. In containment zone and Red zone, there is no Dental hospitals opened. Only emergency dental services are offered by healthcare facilities, all other elective and other follow up procedures are postponed . This condition will have a huge impact on Oral health of the population. From public many are reluctant to go for dental services even in the Green zone also.

Short effects such as untreated dental infections, tooth decay, difficulty in Children due to wisdom teeth impaction, Ineffectiveness of dental procedures due to no follow up.( follow up of brazing the teeth) and other dental problems.

Long term effects due to the current scenario and difficulty in dental services, will be poor oral health, dental carries, loss of teeth, infection to surrounding bones, complications of dental infections (and associated poor oral hygiene are gingivitis, stomatitis, tonsilitis, Pericarditis etc). Septicemia and abscess in brain are also may occur due to untreated dental infections.