Periodontal and chronic kidney disease association: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure is increasing globally and evidence from observational studies suggest periodontal disease may contribute to kidney functional decline.

METHODS: Electronic searches of the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases were conducted for the purposes of conducting a systematic review. Hand searching of reference lists was also performed. Meta-analysis of observational studies involving periodontal disease and chronic kidney disease in adults was performed.

RESULTS: A total of 17 studies were selected from an initial 4,055 abstracts. Pooled estimates indicated the odds of having CKD were 60% higher among patients with periodontitis: pooled OR 1.60 (95% CI 1.44 - 1.79, I2 35.2%, P=0.11) compared to those without. Conversely, a similar magnitude but non-significant higher odds of having periodontal disease was found among people with CKD 1.69 (95% CI: 0.84, 3.40, I2 =89.8%, P<0.00) versus non-CKD. Meta-regression revealed study quality based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and statistical adjustment for potential confounders explained almost 35% of the heterogeneity in the studies investigating the association between CKD and periodontitis.

CONCLUSIONS: Moderate evidence for a positive association between periodontitis and CKD exists. Evidence for the opposite direction is extremely weak based on significant heterogeneity between studies.