Periodontitis and physical activity: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Oral Health
• Exercise Science
• Inflammation Research

Background:

• Periodontitis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease linked to chronic low-grade inflammation.
• Sedentary lifestyles exacerbate chronic low-grade inflammation, a phenotype associated with periodontitis.
• Physical exercise is recognized for its role in chronic disease prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on the relationship between periodontitis and physical exercise.
• To investigate the potential protective role of exercise against inflammation and bone destruction in periodontitis.
• To identify gaps in current research regarding exercise interventions for periodontitis.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of primary research, clinical trials, and observational studies.
• Searches conducted in PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library.
• Inclusion of studies published since 2000 with defined periodontitis diagnosis and exercise evaluation criteria.

Main Results:

• Physical exercise demonstrated an ability to attenuate inflammation and alveolar bone loss in both human and animal studies.
• Selected studies (23) analyzed the protective effects of exercise on inflammatory markers and bone integrity.
• Evidence suggests a potential benefit of exercise in managing periodontitis-related inflammation and bone loss.

Conclusions:

• Physical exercise may play a protective role in mitigating inflammation and alveolar bone loss in periodontitis.
• Significant heterogeneity in study populations and exercise evaluation methods limits conclusive answers.
• Further randomized clinical trials are essential to establish the definitive impact of exercise on periodontitis.