Oral Manifestations of COVID-19: A Questionnaire-Based Survey of the Mild and Moderate Cases in the Turkish Population (preprint)

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND A myriad of symptoms associated with COVID-19 have been reported in the literature. It's currently unclear if these symptoms are part of a normal clinical pattern directly induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection or are secondary to the patient's compromised systemic condition, given the probability of coinfections, immunosuppression, and treatment-related adverse effects (4). The aim of this research was to find answers to the question"What is the prevalence of oral symptoms in COVID-19 patients?“. METHODS A questionnaire was designed to detect and identify changes in the oral mucosa in patients with COVID-19 infection. During their follow-up at the Gölcük State Hospital COVID Outpatient Clinic, clinicians and an academic specialist performed a face-to-face survey of the patients. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study and their consent to participate in the study was obtained along with their signatures on the questionnaire form. The data was collected between April 12 and May 22, 2020, and it was analyzed, archived, and processed anonymously. RESULTS This survey included 306 COVID-19 patients in total. The results revealed that only 29.4% of respondents had complaints of oral aphthae and ulcers and 18.94% experienced oral pain; with the most commonly reported symptom being xerostomia (67,6%). There was a widespread distribution of reported symptoms with varying incidences and locations. CONCLUSION Analyzing the data this study procured, one still can’t conclusively determine whether the oral manifestations develop secondary to COVID-19.