Summary Initially, it was reported that coronavirus 2019 disease (Covid‐19) affects respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological systems, but the oral, olfactory and integumentary systems are also involved. This review discusses various oral manifestations of Covid‐19 reported in the literature along with possible underlying mechanisms. The reported manifestations include taste impairment, oral mucosal changes (petechiae, ulcers, plaque‐like lesions, reactivation of herpes simplex virus 1(HSV1), geographical tongue and desquamative gingivitis) and dry mouth. The prominent location for mucosal lesions are tongue, palate and labial mucosa. The exact pathogenesis of these oral symptoms is not known. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptors are expressed in abundance on oral mucosa allowing severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) to infect them. Gustatory impairment along with olfactory changes is now listed as a symptom of Covid‐19 by the World Health Organization, but further research is needed to confirm a link between reported additional oral symptoms and Covid‐19. Dental professionals may encounter individuals with Covid‐19 and be called upon to identify various oral manifestations of this disease.

Objective The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge and attitude and to find out the statistics regarding public awareness of organ donation in Karachi. This convenient based, cross-sectional study was conducted from the general population of Karachi, Pakistan from December 2015 to December 2016. The respondents were evaluated through a face to face questionnaire. The questionnaire contained variables regarding knowledge and attitude towards organ donation. Result 420 people were approached; amongst them 25 refused to participate, so a total number of 395 respondents consented in the research. The mean age of about 77.5% of the population was in the 18–27 range. More than half of the respondents happened to be students and female (51.1%) (55%) respectively. Our results indicate that there was inadequate knowledge among the general population (25.8%). There was a positive attitude regarding organ donation (75.2%). Television was a popular source of information (27%). 29.90% respondents knew that “Kidney” can be donated. 43.80% of the respondents were oblivious to the allowance of organ donation in their religion. More than half (57.2%) were in favor of the promotion of organ donation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4345-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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