MANIFESTATIONS OF THE POST-COVID SYNDROME IN THE ORAL CAVITY

Abstract

Corona virus infection currently remains a key question giving new and new strains. The disease itself has a multisymptomatic course, in which various organs and systems are affected. The oral cavity is no exception. For dentists, it becomes an important task to detect lesions of the oral cavity at various stages of the disease development and during the so-called recovery period, to increase the effectiveness of treatment and, if necessary, to refer the patient to narrow specialists: a neuropathologist, psychologist or other doctor in order to develop rehabilitation measures. The aim is to study the manifestations of post-covid syndrome in the oral cavity. Materials and methods. On the basis of the Department of Dentistry of the National Institute of Scientific Research of the IFNMU, as part of the advisory assistance for diseases of the oral cavity, in the period from 2021 to 2022, an examination of 33 patients who suffered from a coronavirus disease of varying degrees of severity was carried out. These patients were referred for consultation from private dental institutions, dental polyclinics in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk and the region. A significant part of patients sought help online. Clinical research methods included collection of complaints, anamnesis of the disease, analysis of extracts of medical histories from medical institutions. The dental examination was carried out according to the generally accepted scheme: examination of the oral cavity, in particular, the condition of the mucous membrane (color, moisture, presence of pathological formations), the condition of the periodontal tissues, oral hygiene, hard tissues of the teeth, orthopedic structures, traumatic factors, bad habits were evaluated. Research results. Results of the study Based on the results of the examination of the patients, we diagnosed a number of pathological conditions of the oral cavity, which included candidal stomatitis (glossitis) and they accounted for 30% of the examined, lichen planus - 30% of cases. These are the persons who were hospitalized for a covid disease. In the rest of the patients who suffered from the disease in a mild form, periodontal tissue damage was noted in 25%, the presence of aphthous rashes in 15% of cases. From the number of people examined, we observed combined pathologies in 5 people: candidiasis, ChPL and glossitis or gingivitis (periodontitis) and aphthae. Microscopic examination of smears from the oral cavity indicates a significant number of fungi of the genus Candida, provided that there is no bacterial flora, that is, dysbacteriosis was observed. Having analyzed the prevalence of pathological conditions of the oral cavity in the examined patients, the tendency of the formation of candidal stomatitis in patients on the background of antibiotic therapy of pneumonia is followed. The development of lichen planus, which the patients had not observed before, is a consequence of stress and shock during the illness. Conclusions. The obtained results of the examination justify the need to carry out a dental examination of persons suspected of being infected with coronavirus -19 even after clinical recovery. The task of the dentist is to timely diagnose lesions of the oral cavity, to choose the most adapted treatment algorithm for the identified pathology in order to prevent complicated progression.