An exploratory study of children with caries and its relationship to SARS-CoV-2

Abstract This exploratory study investigated whether children with dental decay were more likely to have COVID-19 than those without caries. The children underwent dental inspection and blood collection for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Fifty-four children aged 6 to 9 years participated in the survey, which was conducted between March and June 2020 in the municipality of Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil. The diagnosis of caries was performed using the dmft and DMFT indices. Parents reported signs and symptoms of sickness in their children during this period. The serology test aimed to verify the immune response of the children to coronavirus by detecting IgM/IgG antibodies. Statistical analyses were performed at P < 0.05. The majority of the children presented caries (68.5%). Of the nine children who tested positive for COVID-19 (16.7%), eight presented IgG antibodies to the virus, and only one had IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV2. Children who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had a higher percentage of caries lesions than those who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 (77.8% vs 65.9%), but this difference was not statistically significant.

Oral manifestations in hospitalized children with COVID-19

Abstract As the pandemic progressed, the incidence of viruses among children also increased. This study investigates the presence of oral lesions in hospitalized children by analyzing data collected from medical records of infants seen at the pediatric Infectious disease unit at the General Hospital of the University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, from March to August 2020. This study includes children aged 0 to 12 years diagnosed with severe symptoms of COVID-19. The data describe the frequencies and percentages of categorical variables, expressed as mean, median, and standard deviation. The chi-square test evaluated the association of oral manifestations according to the presence of comorbidities. Of 89 children, 20.2% had oral manifestations, and mucositis was the most prevalent lesion (12.4%). Of the 18 children with oral manifestations, 12 did not present comorbidities, but 7.9% had multisystem inflammatory syndrome and 5.6% had Kawasaki disease. Results show that children with oral lesions had longer hospital stays. These findings indicate the need for further studies to clarify the relationship between the oral manifestations of COVID-19 in pediatric patients for screening of the virus by dentists.