Title : Oral manifestation of COVID 19 and photodynamic therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection
Abstract:
SARS-CoV-2 infection does not only affect the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems as was hypothesized until a few months ago, but manifestations can occur at different levels as well as in the oral district. The most well-known oral manifestation of COVID 19 is the alteration of taste, but in reality many other lesions on the mucous membranes have been described in the scientific literature, such as oral ulcers, migratory glossitis, tongue papillitis, opportunistic infections, erythema multiform like and Kawasaki disease like lesions, and so on. The role of the oral doctor in recognizing these, often asymptomatic, lesions is important in intercepting positive patients and reducing the spread of the virus. Several papers on the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in SARS-CoV-2 infection have been published. This treatment is given by the interaction of a photosensitizer, which selectively adheres to bacterial, fungal or viral cells, a light that activates it at a specific wavelength for each photosensitizer, and the presence of oxygen. Different types of photosensitizers are proposed against this novel coronavirus such as Methylene Blue and Curcumin, and also different wavelengths and times of illuminations. Photodynamic therapy is a non-invasive treatment and is free of side effects and could represent a valid aid in the management of the oral manifestations of COVID 19.
