COVID-19 and Mucormycosis of Orofacial Region: A Scoping Review.

ABSTRACT

During the second wave of coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, infection due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in the year 2021 around the globe, there is a surge in the number of cases of mucormycosis or "Black Fungus" that is directly/indirectly associated with COVID-19. In this review article, mucormycosis of the orofacial region has gained importance from the maximum published literature (45 articles) from various databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Rhino-orbital cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) is a fatal condition associated with COVID-19 among categories of mucormycosis such as pulmonary, oral, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and disseminated. ROCM targets the maxillary sinus, also involving teeth of the maxilla, orbits, and ethmoidal sinus. These are of particular interest to dentists and oral pathologists for proper diagnosis and identification. Co-morbid conditions, especially diabetes mellitus type II, have to be monitored carefully in COVID-19 patients as they have a higher risk of developing mucormycosis. In this review article, various presentations of COVID-19-linked mucormycosis are mentioned having particular emphasis on pathogenesis, signs and symptoms, clinical presentation, various diagnostic modalities including histopathology, radiology like CT and MRI, serology, tissue culture, various laboratory investigations, treatment protocols, management with prognosis, and so on. Any suspected case of mucormycosis needs quick detection and treatment since it progresses quickly due to the destructive course of infection. Long-term follow-up along with proper care is a must to detect any kind of recurrence.