The association between periodontal disease and the risk of kidney cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort studies

We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the association between periodontal disease and the risk of kidney cancer. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched to identify studies investigating the association between periodontal disease and kidney cancer up to Jun. 30, 2025. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 18.0. A total of 6 cohort studies involving 4,840,824 participants were finally included. The meta-analysis showed that periodontal disease was associated with a 1.1-fold increase in the risk of kidney cancer, but this association was not statistically significant (HR = 1.10, 95%CI: 0.94–1.30, P = 0.24). Further subgroup analyses were stratified by follow-up duration, smoking adjustment, study design, gender, and diagnostic methods for periodontal disease. The results indicated that a significant association between periodontal disease and increased kidney cancer risk was observed in only three subgroups: prospective cohort studies (HR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.04–1.58, P = 0.02), male populations (HR = 1.39, 95%CI: 1.08–1.79, P = 0.01), and studies using self-reported periodontal disease (HR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.04–1.58, P = 0.02). Current evidence suggests no significant association between periodontal disease and kidney cancer overall. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO with the number CRD420251268695. Not applicable.