Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35060684›Full record

ArticleMolecular oral microbiology2022

Can periodontal pockets and caries lesions act as reservoirs for coronavirus?

Zuhair S Natto, Marwah Afeef, Muhammed A Bakhrebah, Heba Ashi, Khaled A Alzahrani, Abdulkarim F Alhetheel, Hansel M Fletcher

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular oral microbiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. COVID-19 in Dental Practice Is Prevented by Eugenol Responsible for the Ambient Odor Specific to Dental Offices: Possibility and Speculation.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2024
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Observational
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Assessing knowledge of herbal medicine course for dental students.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Zuhair S NattoDepartment of Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-2723-0255
Marwah AfeefStudy & Research Department, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Muhammed A Bakhrebah‏Life Science and Environment Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Heba AshiDepartment of Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Khaled A AlzahraniSpecialized Dental Center, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulkarim F AlhetheelKing Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hansel M FletcherDivision of Microbiology, Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7165-2159

Funding

Studies on virulence regulation in PorphyromonasR01DE013664 · NIDCR · LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY · PI FLETCHER, HANSEL M. · 2002 to 2011
$3.3M
Studies on the virulence regulation in PorphyromonasR01DE025852 · NIDCR · LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY · PI FLETCHER, HANSEL M. · 2016 to 2020
$2.0M
Mechanisms for the repair of oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in PorphyromonasR21DE030411 · NIDCR · LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY · PI FLETCHER, HANSEL M. · 2021 to 2022
$435k
Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 315-165-14422Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah GNIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE013664NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE025852NIDCR NIH HHS R21 DE030411
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The periodontal pocket and likely caries lesions may act as a reservoir and source of dissemination and development of systemic infections. While periodontal pockets have been found to harbor several viral species, there is no information on its ability to serve as a reservoir for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We have used a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) approach to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal pockets and cavitated caries lesions in a cross-sectional study of 72 participants who were divided into six groups: symptomatic positive COVID-19 cases with periodontal pockets, symptomatic positive with cavitated caries lesions, asymptomatic positive with periodontal pockets, asymptomatic positive with cavitated caries lesions, positive control, and negative control. A total of 180 samples were interrogated by RT-PCR to amplify the SARS-CoV-2 E and S genes. SARS-CoV-2 was present in 41.7% of symptomatic positive COVID-19 cases with periodontal pockets and 16.7% of symptomatic positive with cavitated caries lesions. The mean Ct value of E and S genes in periodontal pockets patients were 36.06±0.46 and 30.06±6.73, respectively, and the mean Ct value for both genes in caries lesions patients were 35.73±4.14, and 34.78±1.93, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to detect SARS-CoV-2 among periodontal pockets were 20.8% (95% CI 7.13-42.15), 100% (95% CI 73.54-100.0), and 47.2% (95% CI 30.22-64.51), respectively. Among cavitated caries lesions patients, they were 8.3% (95% CI 1.03-27.0), 100% (95% CI 73.54-100.0), and 38.9% (95% CI 23.14-56.54), respectively. SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in periodontal pockets and caries lesions, and these sites may act as reservoirs for the virus. However, the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 detection is low compared with other methods. To our knowledge, this report is the first to investigate the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and periodontal pockets and caries.

Indexed as

COVID-19Dental Caries SusceptibilityCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPeriodontal PocketSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID35060684
PMCPMC9237656

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.