Study sheds light on COVID-19 oral symptoms
A study examining the role of the oral cavity in SARS-CoV-2 infection has found evidence the virus infects cells in the mouth, which could explain why some patients with COVID-19 experience taste loss, dry mouth and blistering. The research also found that saliva is infectious, indicating the mouth may play a part in transmitting the virus deeper into the body or to others.
“After months of collaboration, our study shows that the mouth is a route of infection as well as an incubator for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19,” said Kevin M. Byrd, D.D.S., Ph.D., one of the lead researchers and the ADA Science and Research Institute’s Anthony R. Volpe Research Scholar.
“This foundational work will help direct our next studies to further understand at the molecular level why individuals are presenting with altered/loss of taste and dry mouth after infection during COVID-19, why some individuals are demonstrating these effects six-plus months after the first infection, and if/how we can come up with treatment strategies to help these individuals recover.”
In people with COVID-19 who have respiratory symptoms, the virus could potentially come from nasal drainage or phlegm coughed up from the lungs, but that may not explain how the virus gets into the saliva of people who do not experience those symptoms.
“Based on data from our laboratories, we suspected at least some of the virus in saliva could be coming from infected tissues in the mouth itself,” Dr. Warner said.
“Asymptomatic spread is the Achilles’ heel of this pandemic, and we found the virus can be present in the saliva of asymptomatic individuals and also in the saliva of those who experienced changes to their taste/smell,” Dr. Byrd said. “If changes to your taste/smell are your only symptom, it is still important for you to get a COVID-19 test and self-isolate for the good of your community.”
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