Patient-related factors that link chronic kidney disease and periodontitis: a scoping review

Several studies have proposed the existence of an association between periodontitis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on biological premises. There is growing evidence that chronic inflammation caused by periodontitis may contribute to the progression of CKD. The present study aimed to investigate studies that link CKD and periodontitis, including periodontitis proxies such as oral hygiene and tooth loss, and patient-related factors such as inflammatory response and genetic polymorphisms. An electronic search was conducted on the MEDLINE (Pubmed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, and Web of Science databases using an advanced search option up until August 2024. Thirty-two studies were included: 4 interventional, 16 cohort, and 12 case-control. Overall, the prevalence of periodontitis was significantly higher in patients with CKD: the diagnosis of periodontal disease was associated with an increase in the risk of incident CKD, and parameters of periodontal disease were negatively correlated with kidney function. Inside the field of periodontal medicine, the current evidence indicates a possible association between CKD and periodontitis and supports future longitudinal studies to investigate the two-way relationship between the diseases and their pathophysiology, and possibly to establish cause and effect.