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ORAL MANIFESTATIONS OF COVID-19: A CASE SERIES

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Submitted: 2026-01-16; Published: 2150-06-16
CC BY-NC 4.0 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

Background: Oral symptoms may serve as the initial indications of COVID-19 prior to the onset of systemic
symptoms. An understanding of these indicators facilitates rapid diagnosis and early detection.
Objective: This case study presents early oral symptoms observed in 15 patients subsequently diagnosed with COVID19.
Materials and Method: The cases were organised based on the form of oral lesions. The clinical features, duration of
symptoms, treatment regimens, and outcomes were documented.
Results: The most frequently observed oral lesions included ulcerative lesions (n=6), stomatitis (n=4),
dysgeusia/ageusia (n=2), angular cheilitis (n=2), and oral candidiasis (n=1). Lesions, frequently painful, initially
manifested two to six days prior to the onset of systemic COVID-19 symptoms. The treatment involved supportive
care, topical corticosteroids, antiseptics, antifungals, and symptomatic therapy. Dysgeusia persisted for up to three
weeks, whereas most lesions resolved within ten to fourteen days. No long-term complications or recurrences were
observed.
Conclusion: Initial oral manifestations may be valuable clinical indicators for diagnosing COVID-19. Practitioners
should be knowledgeable about these presentations to facilitate early identification and treatment.

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