Dental Care and Oral Health Assessments in Patients Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit with COVID-19 Infection: A Chart Review

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the provision of dental care to patients admitted to a public tertiary hospital due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: A chart review was conducted using medical records of patients admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection at a public tertiary hospital. Patients hospitalized for at least 10 days were included, and data were collected on demographic variables, comorbidities, oral health status, and hospitalization outcomes. Results: A total of 295 patients were included (mean age 60.8 ± 17.4 years). Comorbidities were common, with 29.8% of patients diagnosed with diabetes and 53.3% with hypertension. Only 47.5% of patients received an oral health assessment upon admission, and 58% received oral hygiene care during hospitalization. Oral health evaluations revealed that older adults exhibited significantly higher rates of total edentulism, received more oral hygiene care during hospitalization, and were more likely to undergo oral evaluation at admission. Regarding clinical outcomes, patients with altered mouth opening had significantly lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores (p p = 0.006). Conclusions: These study findings highlight the importance of dental care in critically ill COVID-19 patients, particularly in ICU settings. It emphasizes the need for improved dental documentation and integration of dental professionals into hospital-care teams to reduce complications and enhance both oral and systemic health outcomes.

Keywords

• oral health
• intensive care units
• dental care
• COVID-19