A meta-analysis of the association between the presence of Helicobacter pylori and periodontal diseases

Background: The objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) and periodontal disease (PD). Methods: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched to identify eligible articles published from inception up to April 2018. Further articles were retrieved through a manual search of recent reviews. Cross-sectional studies, case-control studies and cohort studies reporting the association between H pylori and PD were included. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results: Four case-control studies and nine cross-sectional studies were included. A total of 6800 patients were included in this review. The odds for oral H pylori positivity was 2.31 times (95% CI: 1.99-2.68) greater than those without H pylori. Subgroup analyses involving different study locations, designs, and types of study population showed the similar results. The pooled OR for the gastric disease patients was the largest (3.50, 95% CI: 2.22-5.53, five articles). Stomach H pylori was also significantly associated with PD, with OR 2.90 (95% CI: 1.37-6.14, two articles). Conclusions: This meta-analysis supports an association between H pylori and PD. More well-designed studies, especially prospective cohort studies are necessary to confirm these results.