BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Oral Health
Sec. Oral Epidemiology
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1654029
Post-viral alterations in periodontal health in individuals recovering from COVID-19
Provisionally accepted
Jelena Roganović*
Milena Barać
Biljana Radosav Milicic
Milan PetrovićStefan SredojevićAna Đinić KrasavčevićNataša Nikolić-Jakoba- University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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This study explores post-viral immune modulation in periodontal health using COVID-19 convalescence as a model. We hypothesized that post-COVID-19 recovery induces epigenetic alterations, measurable through salivary methyl-transferase-like 3 (METTL3) expression and clinical-periodontal parameters. The present research comprises results from two studies: the clinical study which included a total of 83 systemically healthy adults stratified into four groups according to periodontal status and COVID-19 history, and laboratory study on human parotid gland samples (n= 10). Full-mouth periodontal status and unstimulated morning saliva were obtained. Glandular methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and Fat mass and obesity-associated factor (FTO) as well as salivary METTL3 and cortisol were quantified by ELISA; psychological stress was assessed with the Perceived stress scale -10. Effect sizes were analyzed with ANOVA and multivariable linear regression and the receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed for METTL3. Decreased levels of METTL3 in parotid tissue and in saliva of COVID-19 convalescents were found. Prior COVID-19 was significantly associated with METTL3 and plaque index (PI) as predictors, when adjusted for age, gender, periodontitis and salivary cortisol. Strong associations between METTL3 and PI were found. Stress scores and cortisol did not differ between groups. Thus, down-regulation of salivary METTL3 and concomitant plaque index reduction characterize the late convalescent phase of COVID-19. These epigenetic changes may reflect post-viral changes in parotid gland and periodontal health homeostasis and warrant longitudinal research confirmation.
Keywords: Periodontitis, Post-COVID-19, epigenetics, Saliva, methyl-transferase-like 3
Received: 25 Jun 2025; Accepted: 20 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Roganović, Barać, Milicic, Petrović, Sredojević, Krasavčević and Nikolić-Jakoba. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jelena Roganović, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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