Periodontal Health and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Exacerbations: A Systematic Review

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests a role for oral bacteria in lung infections. This systematic review aimed to analyse the association between poor periodontal health and the frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and Medline were searched for studies published until May 2020, with no language restriction. Studies reporting periodontal condition, or periodontal treatment outcomes, with data on the frequency of exacerbations of COPD, were identified. The primary outcome was the frequency of exacerbations and secondary outcomes included quality of life and hospitalisation. Studies were assessed for eligibility and quality by two assessors independently. Results: Searches identified 532 records and 8 met the inclusion criteria. The data from intervention studies showed reduction in the frequency of exacerbations following periodontal treatment. Data from observational studies suggest association of worse plaque scores with exacerbation but not pocket depth or clinical attachment loss. Better periodontal health was also associated with reduced frequency of COPD exacerbations, hospitalisations and improved quality of life in COPD patients. Due to the high heterogeneity no meta-analysis was performed. The quality of some of the included studies was low and there was evidence of high risk of bias. Conclusion: The data supports possible association between poor periodontal health, the frequency of exacerbations and quality of life in COPD patients. The evidence is limited by high risk of bias suggesting need for well-designed and adequately powered randomised control trials.The PROSPERO registration number CRD42020180328