Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in China in December 2019 and has spread worldwide. As of October 1, 2021, approximately 1.7 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Japan, and at its peak, about 25,000 people were diagnosed per day. In a pandemic, COVID-19 patients may be mixed in with routine patients. Oral and maxillofacial surgery treats a variety of diseases that occur in the oral and maxillofacial region and must differentiate between inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity and COVID-19. In this report, we describe a case of COVID-19 discovered during treatment for pericoronitis of a mandibular third molar. The patient was aware of pain in the right mandibular third molar one day prior to the initial examination, and came to our department the following day. The patient was diagnosed with pericoronitis of the mandibular third molar and started antibiotic treatment. However, she returned to our department 4 days after her initial visit because she was worried about worsening pericoronitis. Although pericoronitis of the mandibular third molar had improved, redness of the pharynx was observed; therefore, we considered the possibility of COVID-19. She was tested and diagnosed with COVID-19 at another hospital. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to distinguish COVID-19 from oral surgical diseases and to take measures to prevent infection.
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