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Background: Declining humoral immunity in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and possible reinfection have raised concern. Mucosal immunity, particularly salivary antibodies, may be short lived although long-term studies are lacking., Methods: Using a multiplex bead-based array platform, we investigated antibodies specific to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins in 256 saliva samples from convalescent patients 1-9 months after symptomatic COVID-19 (n = 74, cohort 1), undiagnosed individuals with self-reported questionnaires (n = 147, cohort 2), and individuals sampled prepandemic (n = 35, cohort 3)., Results: Salivary IgG antibody responses in cohort 1 (mainly mild COVID-19) were detectable up to 9 months postrecovery, with high correlations between spike and nucleocapsid specificity. At 9 months, IgG remained in blood and saliva in most patients. Salivary IgA was rarely detected at this time point. In cohort 2, salivary IgG and IgA responses were significantly associated with recent history of COVID-19-like symptoms. Salivary IgG tolerated temperature and detergent pretreatments., Conclusions: Unlike SARS-CoV-2 salivary IgA that appeared short lived, specific saliva IgG appeared stable even after mild COVID-19, as for blood serology. This noninvasive saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 antibody test with home self-collection may be a complementary alternative to conventional blood serology., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Purpose: This study explored the oral health of individuals with substance use disorders and examined the relationship between oral health and type and number of years of substance use disorder., Materials and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study comprised patients with one of four groups of substance use disorders - alcohol, cannabis, central nervous system stimulants (CNSS), and opiates. All participants underwent a dental examination and were included in the study based on their clinical findings., Results: Of 95 participants, 79 (83%) were male and 37 (39%) were homeless. Statistically significant difference between the groups was observed in 6-12-mm periodontal pocket depths (p <0.05), as were differences in oral mucosal changes (p <0.001). Statistically significantly lower proportions were observed in the cannabis group for Mob G:0 and Mob G:1 and Furcation G:1 compared to the CNSS and opiate groups; the proportion of Furcation G:0 was significantly lower in the alcohol group compared to the cannabis group. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant between-group differences in age, number of years of substance use disorder, number of teeth, and decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT). When controlling for age and gender, substance type was found to be a statistically significant predictor of number of teeth (B = -4.4; 95% CI: -8.1 to -0.38; p = 0.03) and DMFT (B = 2.1; 95% CI: 0.86 to 3.3; p = 0.001)., Conclusions: These results indicate poor oral health among individuals with substance use disorders. It seems that oral health problems are lower among abusers of cannabis than of CNSS, alcohol and opiates.

This study investigated the perceptions of Swedish homeless people concerning their oral health and perceived consequences of dental treatment. Candid, tape-recorded interviews were conducted in a conversational style. A phenomenological-hermeneutical method was used to analyze the subjects' stories. New participants were recruited into the study, until the interviews provided no additional new information, which occurred after eight interviews. All narratives revealed expressions of loss as well as recovery in the informants' life. Both aspects highlighted the fact that homelessness equated to "loss" not only of a permanent residence but also of many values. Similarly, oral health was described and interpreted in terms of loss and recovery. During periods of drug abuse, study participants ranked oral health as a low priority and generally received only emergency dental attention. In more rehabilitative phases of life, however, they perceived oral health and dental treatment as a function to restore their human dignity and as a key to their holistic recovery of total body health.

The aim of the present study was to record and describe the oral condition of homeless adults in Stockholm, Sweden. There have been no clinical studies of the oral health of the homeless in Sweden since the 1970s. The study population comprised 147 homeless individuals (110 M, 37 F) in the age range 22-77 years. All underwent oral examination, including registration of periodontal status and caries data. The results show that homeless adults in Stockholm have fewer remaining teeth than the general population. Because conservative periodontal treatment is expensive and time-consuming, teeth with doubtful prognoses are usually extracted and only those with optimal periodontal health are retained. Another consequence of inadequate periodontal treatment, including insufficient oral hygiene instruction, is the high percentage of tooth surfaces with plaque accumulation. Heavy plaque accumulation will also have an effect on caries progression, expressed in this study as high DMFT values. Loss of teeth is likely to create dental and chewing problems, possibly resulting in increased dental and medical treatment needs.