Sir, in connection with the interesting discussion of Richards et al. on coronamolars as a possible congenital disorder of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we suggest maternal-foetal transmission (vertical transmission) to predict the coronamolars' development.1
Mulberry molars and Hutchinson's teeth are characteristic dental stigmata of children born to mothers with syphilis infection during pregnancy.
Although a recent systematic review has concluded that there is no evidence of the vertical transmission in neonates of mothers with confirmed COVID-19 infection 0.0% (0/310),2 the possibility of vertical transmission cannot be completely ruled out due to the few individual neonate cases which were reported positive a few hours after their birth. Vertical infection therefore remains a possibility in the context of COVID-19 thus implying a potential call-to-action for dental researchers and professionals to look for possible orofacial manifestations either in the short- or long-term, once cohorts of congenital COVID-19 are reported.
References
Richards J A, Beaumont I, Beech A N. Coronamolars? Br Dent J 2020; 228: 904.
Huntley B J F, Huntley E S, Di Mascio D, Chen T, Berghella V, Chauhan S P. Rates of maternal and perinatal mortality and vertical transmission in pregnancies complicated by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Co-V-2) infection: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol 2020; doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004010.
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Riad, A., Hockova, B. Vertical transmission . Br Dent J 229, 71 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-1936-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-1936-5