Herpes simplex virus type 1 in periapical pathoses: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Endodontics
• Oral microbiology
• Infectious diseases

Background:

• Periapical lesions are inflammatory responses to pulpal infection.
• The role of specific viruses, like herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), in these lesions is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze observational studies.
• To assess the prevalence of HSV-1 infection in endodontic periapical lesions.

Main Methods:

• Searched multiple databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar).
• Included cross-sectional studies on HSV-1 in periapical tissues.
• Utilized fixed-effect and random-effects models for meta-analysis, with adjustments for quality and bias.

Main Results:

• Eight studies involving 194 patients were included.
• Pooled HSV-1 prevalence in periapical lesions ranged from 3% to 11% across different analytical models.
• Prevalence estimates were adjusted for study quality and potential publication bias.

Conclusions:

• HSV-1 can colonize periapical tissues in a notable percentage of patients with periapical diseases.
• Current data do not establish a causal link between HSV-1 and the development or progression of periapical diseases.
• High-quality, large-scale prospective cohort studies are recommended for future research.