Key result
Periodontal therapy shows mixed vascular effects and fails to reduce major cardiovascular events.
Why the study?
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with potential systemic effects via transient bacteremia and inflammatory mediators, prompting this synthesis of evidence on its association with cardiovascular risk, biological mechanisms, and the effects of periodontal therapy.
Does periodontal therapy reduce cardiovascular risk and improve inflammatory and vascular parameters in patients with periodontitis?
Does periodontal therapy reduce cardiovascular risk and improve inflammatory and vascular parameters in patients with periodontitis?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Periodontitis is consistently associated with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular abnormalities, and while periodontal therapy may improve surrogate vascular and inflammatory markers, it has not yet been proven to prevent major adverse cardiovascular events.
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with potential systemic effects through transient bacteremia and the release of inflammatory mediators. This narrative review with a structured search and qualitative synthesis examined evidence on the association between periodontitis and cardiovascular risk, proposed biological mechanisms, and the effects of periodontal therapy. PubMed and the BVS Portal were searched on March 26 and 27, 2026, for publications from 2016 to 2026, and 25 publications with different study designs were included. The literature links oral pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, and systemic markers, including C-reactive protein, IL-6, and TNF-α, to endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and atherogenesis. Observational studies report associations with hypertension and coronary artery disease without establishing causality. Clinical trials suggest effects on blood pressure and some inflammatory and vascular parameters, with heterogeneous results. Methodological diversity and confounding factors limit interpretation. Periodontitis is associated with cardiovascular abnormalities, supporting integrated attention to oral and systemic health. Periodontal treatment is an oral health intervention with potential systemic benefits; its ability to prevent myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular mortality has not yet been established.
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Silva et al. (2026) conducted a review in Periodontitis and cardiovascular disease. Periodontitis and periodontal therapy vs. Periodontal health or conventional care was evaluated on Cardiovascular risk, systemic inflammatory markers, and vascular parameters. Periodontitis is associated with hypertension and coronary artery disease in observational studies, while clinical trials of periodontal therapy show heterogeneous effects on blood pressure and vascular parameters without proven reduction in major cardiovascular events.
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