In June of this year, the highly respected British Dental Journal published a study that concludes poor oral hygiene may be connected to serious COVID-19 complications due to high levels of harmful bacteria that can reside in our mouths.
This only emphasizes the need to maintain good oral health practices during the pandemic.
Key takeaways from this study and others include:
- COVID-19 and other viral diseases can increase the risk of inter-bacterial exchanges between the lungs and the mouth
- The risk of respiratory infections may increase as a result of these exchanges
- Post-viral bacterial complications could still exist after the recovery from COVID-19
- Proper oral care can significantly reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICU patients.
- Improved oral hygiene during a SARS-CoV-2 infection may reduce the bacterial load found in the mouth.
- The potential risk of bacterial superinfection can be mitigated with maintained or improved oral hygiene.
For decades we have known that there is a direct link between poor oral health and increased risks of all kinds of other health complications, including stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia. It only stands to reason that neglecting your oral health could create serious COVID-19 complications as well.
Rest assured, the increased safety protocols we have instituted will keep you healthy when you visit our office. There is a far greater risk to your overall health by not keeping up with your routine, scheduled hygiene appointments.
We look forward to seeing you soon, and as always, please contact us at 440-354-0705 if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Soria, DDS
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