Background: A relationship between periodontitis and COVID-19 may exist, as highlighted by several hypothetical models. However, the evidence is limited. Hence, the present study was conducted to determine whether an association exists between periodontitis and COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were divided into three groups—mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19—based on the COVID-19 severity score of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) chest scans. Periodontal parameters—including the plaque index (PI), ratio of sites with gingival bleeding (BOP), pocket depth (PD), gingival recession (REC), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and mean numbers of mobile and missing teeth due to periodontitis—were recorded for all three groups. Statistical analyses were applied to the data. Results: Of 294 patients with COVID-19, approximately 50.68% (n = 149) had periodontitis, and the highest percentage (87.5%) was reported in the severe COVID-19 group. Additionally, severe and advanced stages of periodontitis (stage III–IV) were found to be significantly more frequent in subjects with severe COVID-19 than in the other two groups. The HRCT severity score (CT-SS) was moderately correlated with increased levels of periodontal parameters. Conclusions: Results of logistic regression analyses showed that the probability of developing severe COVID-19 was 2.81 times higher in patients with periodontitis. An association exists between periodontitis and severe COVID-19.

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ObjectivesSystemic immune‐inflammation index (SII) is a novel, inflammatory biomarker whose role in predicting several chronic systemic diseases has been recently identified. However, its association with generalized stage III grade C periodontitis in young adults remains unknown.Material and MethodsThe study is a multicentered, double‐blind, hospital‐based case–control clinical study. Periodontal examination comprised of recording plaque index, sites with bleeding on probing, pocket depth and clinical attachment loss for patients with generalized stage III grade C periodontitis and periodontally healthy group. Complete blood counts were obtained and used for calculating SII, neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet‐lymphocyte ratio. Collected data were then subjected to statistical analyses.ResultsSII was significantly higher in patients with generalized stage III grade C periodontitis compared to periodontally healthy individuals (723.87 vs. 537.74 × 109/L, p < 0.0001). SII is associated with severe periodontitis in young adults (odds ratio [OR]:11.86, 95% CI 9.61–20.76, p < 0.0001) after adjusting for factors found significant in univariate analysis. Receiver operative curve analysis demonstrated a fair predictive validity of SII in detecting generalized stage III grade C periodontitis in young adults (AUC: 0.766, 95%CI 0.731–0.799, p < 0.0001, sensitivity 81.27%, specificity 76.50% and diagnostic accuracy 78.89%). SII did not exhibit superior predictive validity when compared with NLR in the context of generalized stage III grade C periodontitis (AUC for SII: 0.766, 95%CI 0.731–0.799, AUC for NLR: 0.788, 95% CI 0.754–0.819; p = 0.28).ConclusionSII is associated with generalized stage III grade C periodontitis in young adults.

Introduction: The invention of the laser has sparked the interest of many people throughout history. It is critical to have a thorough understanding of laser use, different types of lasers, and which type of laser is suitable for each case to use laser safely and effectively in various dental fields. Aim: The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge and understanding of the application of lasers and their preferred choices among different procedures in dentistry among dental professionals of Central India. Materials and Methods: An online questionnaire-based survey was carried out among dental professionals of Central India. A questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and shared with respondents via WhatsApp and mail. Collected data were analyzed using Stata Version 16 software. The relevance of study parameters on a categorical scale was determined using Chi-square analysis.Pvalue was set at 0.05 as the level of significance. Results: Out of 350 respondents, about 15.4% of dental surgeons were currently using lasers and 75.7% of participants were interested in using lasers. Potential barriers reported were: High cost, procedure sensitivity, and health risks. Conclusion: Lasers need comprehensive training in both theoretical and applied. Incorporating laser education into undergraduate courses may provide students with an early opportunity to learn about and practising with lasers.

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