Facial and Oral Manifestations Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Survey-Based Study and a First Perspective

Abstract

(1) Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The development of effective and safe vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has been extremely fast. The list of orofacial adverse effects of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccines based on the clinical trials are reported to be rare. The aim of this study was to investigate the facial and oral manifestations of COVID-19 vaccination using a survey-based study. (2) Methods: The questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and sent anonymously to a total of 700 subjects (medical personnel) in Poland, Italy, and other EU countries. (3) Results: 223 people answered the questionnaire, mainly vaccinated with BNT162b2. Only 3.1% and 5.4% experienced oral and facial symptoms, respectively. General diseases presence and age have significant influence on the probability of oral symptoms occurrence after the second dose. Facial symptoms are correlated with general disease; autoimmune pathologies and age, at first and second dose, respectively. Gender, smoking and regular medication intake have significant influence on the probability of taking an absence day. Gender, age, and smoking have a significant influence on the duration of symptoms after second dose. (4) Conclusions: Based on the results of this preliminary survey, there is no observed significant correlation between vaccine administration for COVID-19 and facial and oral manifestations.

Side Effects of mRNA-Based and Viral Vector-Based COVID-19 Vaccines among German Healthcare Workers

“…While the vast majority of governments rely on more than one vaccine in their mass-vaccination strategies, there is a lack of evidence on the comparative side effects of different COVID-19 vaccines [ 34 , 35 ]. The current evidence is limited by a series of constraints, including unequal sample size across the study groups, lack of normal distribution of demographic and medical risk factors across the study groups, and lack of attention to the onset of each side effect [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 36 ]. Vaccine selectivity can be defined as “the discriminatory attitudes towards certain types of vaccines based on their target contagion or manufacturing technology that yields heterogeneous acceptance levels of recommended vaccines”.…”

“…Similarly, Jordanian healthcare workers (≤45 years-old) and UAE inhabitants (≤49 years-old) reported more side effects following COVID-19 vaccination [ 32 , 39 ]. Mazur et al, 2021 found that the incidence of post-vaccination oral side effects decreases in the older age groups among the included European healthcare workers [ 36 ]. In Czech Republic and Turkey, the younger healthcare workers reported a higher incidence of short-term side effects following BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccines, respectively, compared to their older colleagues [ 20 , 22 ].…”

How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Effect Dental Patients? An Italian Observational Survey Study

“…In this scenario, the dental office was identified as a place where the risk of infection could rise to its maximum, as in dentistry, face-to-face communication and consistent exposure to body fluids, such as blood and saliva, are frequent and common [ 3 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Ulcers on the bilateral palate mucosa following mRNA-based vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A case report

“…Nevertheless, the lack of reports on oral ulceration with the mRNA-1273 vaccine may be due to the fact that the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine is more frequently used in most countries. Current evidence indicates that adverse effects in the oral region are rare (fewer than 1 in 1,000 vaccinations) [10] and self-limiting [11] . However, it has been reported that the onset of adverse effects following mRNA vaccine administration may appear up to 4 weeks later [8] .…”

“…Adverse mucosal effects have been reported for a wide range of vaccines, including diphtheria, tetanus, cellular pertussis, polio, and hepatitis B [ 6 , 11 , 12 ]. These studies have shown that oral ulceration is associated with increased levels of local and systemic T helper type 1 cytokine (e.g., interferon-γ) production.…”