Oral lesions may be a sign of reactivated viruses and fungal infections due to a more vulnerable immune system.
Multiple studies have reported oral and facial lesions occurring after COVID vaccinations and infections, with one review pointing out an observational study that found 70 percent to 100 percent of COVID-19 patients have reported some oral manifestations following infections.
Internal medicine physician Dr. Keith Berkowitz expressed that he is not surprised that patients are reporting ulcers, dry mouth, and various other orofacial manifestations.
“Any immune suppression can cause ulcers,” he told The Epoch Times, adding that oral lesions may be a sign of reactivated viruses and fungal infections due to a more vulnerable immune system.
Integrative medicine practitioner Dr. Yusuf Saleeby said that with the more recent COVID variants, he started noticing a change in the symptomology among his patients and also himself. Ulcers in and around the mouth became more prominent.
“Blistering, like lesions on the face, mouth, and ‘herpetic-like’ lesions in the mouth, lips, gums, and on the tongue,” Dr. Saleeby listed. Tooth and gum pain without the usual evidence of bacterial infections like an abscess has also been observed.
“Many infections present clinically in the oral cavity,” Dr. Nicola Cirillo, dentist and professor of dental medicine pathology and pharmacology at the University of Melbourne, told The Epoch Times.
Similar symptoms are observed in vaccinated people.
“Regarding vaccines, I do observe, occasionally, abnormalities in the head and neck region following vaccination—for example, enlarged cervical lymph nodes, swellings, and oral ulcerations,” said Dr. Cirillo.
A Wide Range of Oral Symptoms
Xerostomia
Also known as dry mouth, xerostomia is one of the most common symptoms reported in COVID-19 infections and an adverse event postvaccination.
Dry mouth can be both subjective—meaning the person feels that their mouth is dry—or it can be an objective indication that there is less saliva in the mouth.
Dr. Berkowitz said that, generally, dehydration is a likely cause of dry mouth since viral infections often cause fluid loss. However, dry mouth can also be caused by conditions such as diabetes and Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease.
