Untreated gum disease triggers scary covid-19 outcome
Periodontal disease in the COVID-19 world and beyond
In the COVID-19 era, it's vital that patients avoid all preventable illnesses and infections. William Fell, DDS, explains how establishing ideal oral health has the potential to influence overall health outcomes.
COVID-19 is forcing many in dentistry to change the status quo and rethink our well-worn approaches to clinical patient care. I submit the following thoughts, not as the only acceptable way to do things, but as a viable approach to screening and home care techniques for the treatment of periodontitis in the current pandemic environment.
One of the many consequences of COVID-19 is that dental hygienists and dentists need to do their part as the “essential caregivers” that the US Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognize them to be.1,2 With our essential skills, dental health-care professionals can help our patients eliminate active periodontal infections and decrease systemic levels of inflammation, potentially improving their ability to resist COVID-19 or achieve improved outcomes should they become infected.
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