Periodontitis and physical activity: a scoping review

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory pathology with a high prevalence in the population, and is associated with the chronic low-grade inflammatory phenotype (CLIP). Also, a sedentary lifestyle contributes to CLIP development. Physical exercise is considered a highly relevant activity for the prevention of chronic diseases. Though the evidence suggest an association between periodontitis and physical activity performance, it is currently unknown whether periodontitis can affect physical performance or how physical activity could ameliorates periodontitis. This is a scoping review that was carried out based on primary research studies, clinical trials, and observational studies identified in PubMed, SciELO and LILACS, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library, published since 2000, which will have the criteria for diagnosing periodontitis and evaluating physical exercise. Based on 23 selected studies we analyzed how in both human and animals studies the exercise could play a protective role for inflammation or bone destruction. In fact, the physical exercise attenuates the inflammation and alveolar bone loss in rodents and humans. However, the widely heterogeneity of the population, the wide variety of methods used to evaluate the exercise, among other variables prevent this data from providing a conclusive answer. Thus, randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the true effect of exercise on reducing inflammation and periodontal bone loss.