Is simple oral care a key to reducing risk of coronavirus-related lung disease?

 

According to a new study, SARS-CoV-2 enters the circulation through the mouth and nose rather than the airway and that simple procedures like regular tooth brushing and mouthwash could minimize the risk of getting serious lung illness as a result of the coronavirus.

A medical radiologist's findings from lung radiology CT scans of COVID-19 patients, which showed COVID-19 lung disease is not a pneumonia in the traditional sense but rather an inflammation of the pulmonary vessels at the base of the lungs propelled. A Proposed Oral-Vascular-Pulmonary Route of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and the Importance of Oral Healthcare Measures. It proposes that the virus travels from saliva in the mouth via the gums into the blood arteries of the neck and chest through the heart and into the blood vessels of the lungs.

It claims that during a COVID-19 infection, dental plaque could provide a constant seeding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus directly into the mouth's blood vessels and that simple oral hygiene measures, such as regular tooth brushing and the use of mouthwash products could help reduce the risk of virus transmission from the mouth to the lungs.

Many dental offices aren’t designed for high levels of protection. That’s because many don’t have:

• Airborne infection isolation rooms
• Rooms for one client
• Any or enough N95 face masks