Abstract
Aim: To assess the effects of oral care on prolonged viral shedding in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Methods and results: We evaluated the clinical course of eight COVID-19 patients, including their duration of viral shedding, by PCR testing of nasopharyngeal swabs. The average time from the onset of symptoms until the virus was no longer detectable was 31.6 ± 11.8 days (mean ± SD; range 17-53). Thus, it took 15.1 ± 14.7 (1-40) days from the time of clinical recovery for the virus to become undetectable. In two patients who had mental retardation and psychiatric disorders, the viral shedding period continued for 44 days or 53 days. These two patients did not voluntarily brush their teeth. When they were instructed on the importance of oral care, including tooth brushing and gargling, their tests for the coronavirus became negative.
Conclusion: Most of the patients with COVID-19 had a viral shedding period of 30 days or less. In cases of prolonged viral shedding (≥44 days), noninfectious viral nucleic acid may have accumulated in uncleaned oral cavities and continued to be detected. We propose that tooth brushing and gargling remove such viral nucleic acid and improve the accuracy of PCR testing.
Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); mental retardation; oral care; prolonged viral shedding; psychiatric disorders; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); tooth brushing.
【저자키워드】 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Psychiatric disorders, prolonged viral shedding, mental retardation, oral care, tooth brushing., 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Coronavirus disease 2019, coronavirus, viral shedding, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, virus, clinical recovery, nucleic acid, PCR testing, Clinical course, Viral, Accuracy, nasopharyngeal swabs, Patient, Psychiatric disorders, respiratory, prolonged viral shedding, Care, patients, COVID-19 patients, Gargling, mental retardation, Psychiatric, acute respiratory syndrome, Tooth brushing, oral cavities, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, two patients, average, viral nucleic acid, MOST, Effect, Mental, retardation, tooth, IMPROVE, the patient, detectable, evaluated, eight, onset of symptom, less, accumulated, undetectable, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, Care, Effect,