Background: This study aimed to produce the latest summary of the evidence for association of host genetic variants contributing to both periodontal diseases and caries. Materials and Methods: Two systematic searches of the literature were conducted in Ovid Medline, Embase, LILACS and Cochrane Library for large candidate gene studies (CGS), systematic reviews and genome-wide association studies reporting data on host genetic variants and presence of periodontal disease and caries. Results: A total of 124 studies were included in the review (59 for the periodontitis outcome and 65 for the caries outcome), from an initial search of 15,487 titles. Gene variants associated with periodontitis were categorized based on strength of evidence and then compared with gene variants associated with caries. Several gene variants showed moderate to strong evidence of association with periodontitis, although none of them had also been associated with the caries trait. Conclusions: Despite some potential aetiopathogenic similarities between periodontitis and caries, no genetic variants to date have clearly been associated with both diseases. Further studies or comparisons across studies with large sample size and clear phenotype definition could shed light into possible shared genetic risk factors for caries and periodontitis. Inflammatory periodontal diseases and caries are the most common bacteria-mediated diseases of mankind despite being highly preventable. Periodontal diseases are characterized by an inflammatory reaction against members of the oral microbiota (Curtis 2015) and, among them, Periodontitis (PD) leads to apical migration of the epithelial attachment and resorption of connective tissue and alveolar bone, often resulting in early tooth loss. Heritability has long been thought to play an important role in the predisposition to periodontitis (Baer 1971). Genetic factors are now thought to determine about half the variance of periodontitis risk in the population (Michalowicz et al. 1991). Common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) able to affect gene activity or protein production, with an effect on structural factors of the periodontium or on the host response to microbial challenge, are among possible risk factors for periodontitis.
LuigiHowever, despite research dating back nearly two decades (Kornman et al. 1997), no single gene variant has yet clearly emerged as definitely predisposing to periodontitis.Caries leads to continued localized mineral loss from the dental enamel and as it progresses, subclinical mineral losses become visible (white spot lesions) and eventually unsupported enamel collapses (cavities) (Vieira 2016). Caries is traditionally described as the interplay among a susceptible host, microbiota and diet (Keyes 1960 (Hunt et al. 1944). Depending on the surrogate measure of the disease employed, genetics explain 25-64% of the variance of the disease seen in the population (reviewed in Vieira et al. 2014).Since both periodontitis and caries are bacteria-mediated oral diseases and depen...
