Apical Periodontitis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Puppet Master?

Focal infection theory posits that periodontal pathobionts play a causal role in initiating or exacerbating diseases. Periodontal disease is a common inflammatory, multifactorial disease of the periodontal tissues. The main factor for inflammation is mature dental plaque with the presence of pathogens in the microbial biofilm. Disturbances of the systemic and/or mucosal immune system, antibiotic treatments, immunosuppressants, and biologic therapies all increase the chance of infections and inflammatory processes (ie, apical periodontitis). The pathogenesis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the 2 main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is still unclear, but both autoimmune and immune-mediated phenomena are involved. It is a global disease with a prevalence of 0.3% and an incidence of 280-320 per 100,000 people in North America. According to the literature, there is a negative association between poor oral health and risk of IBD, and this protective effect increases with the severity of poor dental hygiene. On the other hand, existing IBD seems to be associated with an increased risk of periodontal disease and worse oral health compared with other diseases. The nature of these associations is unclear, but it is unquestionable that all have an effect on the others. Additional studies are needed to confirm if there is a causal relationship between dental status and IBD. Apical periodontitis in patients affected by Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis needs to be considered carefully, and it is important to treat the disease.