The SARS-CoV-2 virus has shaken the globe with an ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 and has set challenges to every corner of the modern health care setting. The oral mucosa and saliva are high risk sites for higher viral loads and dental health care professionals are considered a high risk group. COVID-19-induced oral lesions and loss of taste and smell are common clinical complaints in the dental health care setting. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been found to cause a wide range of non-specific oral mucosal lesions, but the specific diagnosis of these mucocutaneous lesions as COVID-19 lesions will facilitate the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 in dental health care settings and aid in proper patient management. The reported loss of taste and smell needs further investigation at the receptor level as it will give new insights into SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity. The high yield of virus in the salivary secretion is a common finding in this infection and ongoing research is focusing on developing saliva as a rapid diagnostic fluid in COVID-19. In this review, we discuss the significance of oral mucosa, saliva and the relevance of the COVID-19 pandemic in dentistry.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Saliva, ACE2 receptor, Taste, oral epithelial cells, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19 pandemic, Infection, diagnostic, Diagnosis, SARS-CoV-2 virus, virus, Health, Viral load, management, Research, Patient, receptor, pathogenicity, Care, non-specific, mucosal, Dental health, high risk, lesion, lesions, secretion, loss of taste, professional, pandemic of COVID-19, oral mucosa, salivary, globe, reported, facilitate, 【제목키워드】 oral,