Systemic Impact of Periodontal Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Periodontal disease is an infectious inflammatory disease of multifactorial origin, affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth and can lead to tooth loss. Bacteria can reach the bloodstream and thus reach other parts of the body through the ulcerated periodontal pockets. Periodontal disease may therefore be linked to certain systemic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, pregnancy complications, respiratory diseases and Alzheimer’s disease, and could be a risk factor for them. Objective: Performing a literature review, with the aim of understanding how periodontal disease affects certain systemic conditions and what the effects are. Material and methods: A literature search was carried out in different databases such as Pubmed, Google Scholar, with the use of keywords limited by inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: It has been observed that periodontal disease can have an effect on systemic diseases such as: diabetes (in this specific case the relationship is bidirectional), cardiovascular diseases (in particular atherosclerosis), pregnancy complications (such as premature births, low birth weight infants and pre-eclampsia), respiratory diseases (including COPD), and Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: Numerous studies have correlated periodontitis with systemic pathologies. Because this relationship exists, the implication of each must be understood in order to make a proper diagnosis and ensure appropriate management of the patient. However, the benefits of periodontal treatments on general health are not yet proven. It is therefore new research on periodontal therapeutics that must be initiated in the future.