Oral hygiene and oral fluid indices in patients with post-COVID syndrome using different kinds of toothpastes

Abstract

Relevance. The scientific literature has published a considerable amount of data over the past two years on the manifestation of new COVID infection in the oral cavity during the disease. However, there are only occasional studies on the dental status of patients with the post-COVID syndrome. Purpose – to determine the oral hygiene and some oral fluid indices in patients with post-COVID syndrome using different kin ds of toothpaste.Materials and methods. The study examined 68 patients aged 27-40 years who had had a coronavirus infection not earlier than six months before the beginning of the study. The control group consisted of patients who had not been ill with COVID-19. At the first stage, we compared oral fluid characteristics and content in the patients who had not had COVID-19 with the same parameters in the patients who had had coronavirus infection and post-COVID syndrome. At the second stage, we divided the patients into groups according to the toothpaste they used. We determined the oral hygiene and oral fluid indices in all patients.Results. The patients with the post-COVID syndrome had a lower salivation rate, increased saliva viscosity, decreased saliva remineralization capacity, lower lysozyme activity and decreased cathelicidin LL-37 concentration in oral fluid. The patients, who used Moisturizing toothpaste (R.O.C.S. Moisturizing), had a higher salivation rate, lysozyme activity, cathelicidin LL-37 concentration than the patients who used toothpaste with chlorhexidine and sodium lauryl sulfate. Also, the level of oral hygiene was significantly higher in the first group.Conclusion. The study established that the oral fluid parameters significantly changed in patients with the post-COVID syndrome, and the choice of toothpaste affected those parameters. This group of patients should use toothpaste that improves the properties of the oral fluid. The use of toothpaste "R.O.C.S. Moisturizing" improved the oral fluid characteristics in patients with post-COVID syndrome.