Are there any significant craniomaxillofacial manifestations of COVID-19?

Abstract

Data sources PubMed/Medline, Biomed Central, Embase, Thai Journals and the Cochrane library. Study selection Reports or studies dealing with the craniomaxillofacial (CMF) manifestations of COVID-19 were selected. Data extraction and synthesis The reviewers extracted data from the included studies; however, being a meta-narrative review, it was not deemed fit to contact authors for unpublished work, conduct a meta-analysis, search for unpublished data or search for studies in languages different from English, German, French and Thai. The primary variable for prediction was set as the COVID-19 infection, with the primary outcome variable being manifestation in the CMF region. Parameters of a clinical, demographic, investigative and therapeutic nature were the other included variables. Subsequently, the reports and abstracted data were reviewed for study design, author names, country, size of the sample, level of evidence, signs/symptoms, treatment undertaken and investigations conducted. Studies exhibiting the highest level of evidence were included eventually. As deemed appropriate, uni/bivariate and descriptive statistics were applied. Results Cumulatively, 101 publications were included in the meta-narrative after due screening, the data of which was further divided into five groups of: 1) nose/paranasal sinus/skull base; 2) mouth/throat; 3) periorbital/ocular tissue; 4) skin; and 5) ear. Conclusions The majority of data pertaining to CMF manifestations of COVID-19 qualifies as a low level of evidence. With the exception of taste/smell dysfunction, most CMF manifestations are nonspecific and can be diagnosed by CMF surgeons and dentists, which underscores their role in battling the pandemic.