Incidence and risk of periodontitis in obstructive sleep apnea: A meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: At present, the possible relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and periodontitis has been reported. The link remains ambiguous and unclear. The objective of this study is to assess the association between OSA and periodontitis. METHODS: Three databases, including Pubmed, Embase, and the Web of Science, were systematically searched to identify eligible studies that from their establishment to February 2022 for relevant studies. Subsequently, a meta-analysis was conducted to determine the relationship of pooled-effects more accurately. RESULTS: A summary analysis of the 9 results from the studies covering 43,414 individuals showed a statistical association results of the between OSA and the incidence rate of periodontitis(OR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.49–0.55; I(2) = 98.43%; P = 0.000). In addition, OSA patients and the risk of the population were statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of periodontitis.(OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.06–2.06; P = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that OSA may be associated with an increased risk of periodontitis. Further studies are required to confirm the link and explore the underlying mechanism of the link.