According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the most recognized journal in the dental scientific community, those who suffer from periodontitis have a higher risk of suffering complications from COVID-19. The study, which has the collaboration of the Complutense University of Madrid, McGill University of Montreal and the University of Qatar, was carried out between March and July 2020 with data from national electronic medical records in the state of Qatar.
The analysis has discovered that people with periodontitis have significantly higher levels of markers in their blood that are linked to a worse prognosis for COVID-19, such as D-dimer, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein. David Herrera, a researcher at Complutense University, explained that this could guide the adoption of measures to prevent viral colonization in the oral cavity, from using masks to identifying effective oral antiseptics that could impact the transmission and pathogenicity of this virus. Recent research indicates that mouthwashes based on Cetylpyridinium Chloride and povidone-iodine have virucidal activity, which could help prevent COVID-19 infectivity. Although previous data already existed on the possible association between periodontitis and the severity of COVID-19 infection, the findings of this research are decisive.
