The relationship of the level of β-defensin-1 in the saliva of patients with oral candidiasis after CoVID-19 infection

Aim: to determine the level and clinical significance of β-defensin-1 in the saliva in patients with Candida stomatitis after a previous coronavirus infection. The object of the study was 67 patients with Candida stomatitis (of which 31 patients had a PCR-confirmed diagnosis of coronavirus infection) and 23 patients of the control group without candidal stomatitis. Research methods: taking smears from the oral mucosa to confirm the diagnosis with a microbiological method, ELISA to assess the level of β-defensin 1 in the saliva. Аccording to the results of the study, in the group of patients with oral candidiasis (ОС) after COVID-19 (n=31), the most frequent was the chronic hyperplastic form of candidiasis (64,5%), in terms of localization – Candida glossitis (77,4%, p<0,05). It was found that the primary ОС in the group of patients after COVID-19 (n=31) was 74,2% of cases (p<0,05), and in the group of patients with ОС without a history of COVID-19 (n=36) this indicator amounted to 41,7%. Moreover, in patients in the group with ОС after COVID-19, the level of β-defensin-1 strongly positively correlated with the incidence of primary episodes of ОС (RSpearman=0,76, p<0,001). It was also found that the lowest β-defensin-1 level in saliva was in patients with ОС after COVID-19 (2,1±0,8 ng/ml, p<0,001). It was significantly lower (p<0,001) than in the group of patients with ОС and the control group. It was found that in patients with ОС after COVID-19, the level of β-defensin-1 in the saliva was negatively correlated with the duration of the COVID-19 (RSpearman=- 0,78, p<0,001), which can be interpreted as an objective indicator of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on epithelial cells of the oral mucosa.