Lesions in the oral cavity during hospitalization due to COVID-19: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: The Systematic Review aims to assess the prevalence of oral cavity lesions in adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 hospitalized at the infirmary or ICU. Methodology: A search was carried out in 6 databases and in grey literature. The methodological quality was analyzed using the tools in the Joana Briggs Institute (JBI) manual. Results: A total of 3,952 studies were found, remaining 79 for full reading, and 24 studies were included (six case reports, four case series, three cohort studies, ten cross-sectional studies and one case control). All 24 studies reported the location and types of lesions, thus the decreasing prevalence of the types of lesions are candidiasis (20,30%), followed by nonspecific ulcerated lesions (11,42%), nonspecific oral bleeding (4.30%) and viral lesions (2.71%). The location of the lesions is described as lips, tongue, palate and gums. Conclusion: Patients hospitalized in a hospital environment develop lesions in the oral cavity, as well as patients diagnosed with COVID-19, with fungal lesions being the most prevalent both in hospital patients and in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.