The effect of bariatric surgery on periodontal health: systematic review and meta-analyses

Introduction: We aimed to determine whether periodontal health deteriorates after bariatric surgery (BS). Methods: A search was performed in Medline and Embase, for prospective cohort studies with data on change in periodontal parameters after BS. Meta-analysis was performed with available data. Results: The results of 4 included studies consistently show significant (p < 0.05) worsening of bleeding on probing (4.21% (95% CI: 0.32, 8.11)), clinical attachment loss (0.16 mm (95% CI: 0.05, 0.27)), periodontal pocket depth (PPD) (0.14 mm (95% CI: 0.06, 0.23)) and percentage of PPD 4-5 mm: 1.72% (95% CI: 0.11, 3.34) 6 months after BS, but no change after 12 months. Conclusions: BS may have a transient negative effect on periodontal health.

Automated summary

The study found that there was a significant deterioration in periodontal health 6 months after bariatric surgery, but no significant change was seen after 12 months.