Obesity, bariatric surgery and periodontal disease: a literature update

Obesity is linked to other systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and arterial hypertension. These comorbidities increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease risk. Adipose tissue is a true endocrine organ and releases various pro-inflammatory cytokines. Periodontal disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gingiva and bone support (periodontal tissues) that surrounds the teeth. The relationship between obesity and an increased risk of developing PD is already known in the literature. Many studies correlated the cardiometabolic risk with periodontal disease. Bariatric surgery is a way to reduce the adipose tissue in obese patients, that meet specific criteria. It has been observed that this type of surgery usually reduces both the systemic inflammation and the cardiometabolic risk. Some authors have hypothesized that, as a result, the progression of periodontal disease is also reduced. Five articles are analyzed in this systematic review. In these papers, the periodontal health before and after the bariatric surgery was compared. However, the conclusion of the previous studies demonstrated a scarce literature and did not confirm the reduction of periodontal disease after bariatric surgery, but a reduction of cardiometabolic risk. Therefore, periodontal disease in no way influences the reduction of cardiovascular risk after bariatric surgery.