id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentences	flesch	summary	cache	txt
cord-313084-l7odplqg	Sampson, Victoria	Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections?	2020-06-26		.txt	text/plain	3352	203	42	The risk factors already identified for developing complications from a COVID-19 infection are age, gender and comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease. This paper investigates the potential link between SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial load, questioning whether bacteria may play a role in bacterial superinfections and complications such as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis. 1 While COVID-19 has a viral origin, it is suspected that in severe cases, bacterial superinfections may contribute to causing complications such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). 18 It is common for respiratory viral infections to predispose patients to bacterial superinfections, leading to increased disease severity and mortality; for example, during the influenza pandemic in 1918, where the primary cause of death was not from the virus itself but from bacterial superinfections. Bacteria present in patients with severe COVID-19 are associated with the oral cavity and improved oral hygiene may play a part in reducing the risk of complications.	./cache/cord-313084-l7odplqg.txt	./txt/cord-313084-l7odplqg.txt