Aim COVID‐19 is associated with an exacerbated inflammatory response that can result in fatal outcomes. Systemic inflammation is also a main characteristic of periodontitis. Therefore, we investigated the association of periodontitis with COVID‐19 complications. Materials and Methods A case–control study was performed using the national electronic health records of the State of Qatar between February and July 2020. Cases were defined as patients who suffered COVID‐19 complications (death, ICU admissions or assisted ventilation), and controls were COVID‐19 patients discharged without major complications. Periodontal conditions were assessed using dental radiographs from the same database. Associations between periodontitis and COVID 19 complications were analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for demographic, medical and behaviour factors. Results In total, 568 patients were included. After adjusting for potential confounders, periodontitis was associated with COVID‐19 complication including death (OR = 8.81, 95% CI 1.00–77.7), ICU admission (OR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.39–9.05) and need for assisted ventilation (OR = 4.57, 95% CI 1.19–17.4). Similarly, blood levels of white blood cells, D‐dimer and C Reactive Protein were significantly higher in COVID‐19 patients with periodontitis. Conclusion Periodontitis was associated with higher risk of ICU admission, need for assisted ventilation and death of COVID‐19 patients, and with increased blood levels of biomarkers linked to worse disease outcomes.

All techniques caused a temporary gingival inflammation; the greatest was in Expasyl, which also showed slower recovery. Cordless techniques did not induce bleeding during or after retraction.

Objective: To determine smoking prevalence and its effect on dental health attitudes and behavior among dental students in Jordan. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 314 dental students was conducted at Jordan University of Science and Technology. Subjects were surveyed using a modified version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to study differences between male smokers and nonsmokers only. Results: The response rate was 83.7%, with 48% males and 52% females. The prevalence of smoking was 17.2%. Smoking was more prevalent among male students (31%) than female (4.3%). For male students, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed 6 items that were different between smokers and nonsmokers. Nonsmokers tended to brush their teeth more often than smokers (OR 8.67, 95% CI 1.66–45.25); claimed that they had never been professionally taught how to brush their teeth (OR 11.15, 95% CI 1.89–65.67); believed that they spend too much time brushing their teeth (OR 12.24, 95% CI 2.0–75.05); were more concerned about having bad breath (OR 41.86, 95% CI 3.44–58.75) and were more concerned about the color of their gums (OR 8.04, 95% CI 1.55–41.84). Conclusions: Smoking prevalence among male dental students in Jordan was high, 7 times greater than for females. Male smokers and nonsmokers had different attitudes and oral health behaviors as indicated by the study survey.

Background In previous studies, COVID-19 complications were reported to be associated with periodontitis. Accordingly, this study was designed to test the hypothesis that a history of periodontal therapy could be associated with lower risk of COVID-19 complications. Methods A case–control study was performed using the medical health records of COVID-19 patients in the State of Qatar between March 2020 and February 2021 and dental records between January 2017 and December 2021. Cases were defined as COVID-19 patients who suffered complications (death, ICU admissions and/or mechanical ventilation); controls were COVID-19 patients who recovered without major complications. Associations between a history of periodontal therapy and COVID-19 complications were analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for demographic and medical factors. Blood parameters were compared using Kruskal–Wallis test. Results In total, 1,325 patients were included. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) analysis revealed that non-treated periodontitis was associated with significant risk of need for mechanical ventilation (AOR = 3.91, 95% CI 1.21–12.57, p = 0.022) compared to periodontally healthy patients, while treated periodontitis was not (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI 0.25–6.58, p = 0.768). Blood analyses revealed that periodontitis patients with a history of periodontal therapy had significantly lower levels of D-dimer and Ferritin than non-treated periodontitis patients. Conclusion Among COVID-19 patients with periodontal bone loss, only those that have not received periodontal therapy had higher risk of need for assisted ventilation. COVID-19 patients with a history of periodontal therapy were associated with significantly lower D-dimer levels than those without recent records of periodontal therapy. Clinical relevance The fact that patients with treated periodontitis were less likely to suffer COVID-19 complications than non-treated ones further strengthen the hypothesis linking periodontitis to COVID-19 complications and suggests that managing periodontitis could help reduce the risk for COVID-19 complications, although future research is needed to verify this.

The use of Siwak promotes gingival health in patients with orthodontic appliances.