Impact of bariatric surgery on oral health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of bariatric surgery (BS) on the oral health status of obese individuals.Material and methodsThe search was performed on the Cochrane Library, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), LIVIVO, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Grey literature was also consulted through Google Scholar, OpenGrey, ProQuest, and MedRxiv. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool. Pre- and post-surgical moments were compared through random effects meta-analysis. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) assessment tool was used to judge the certainty of evidence.ResultsAfter searching the databases, 908 references were retrieved, with 30 articles selected for synthesis. When comparing the pre- and postoperative moments, there was no difference in the index of decayed, missing, or filled teeth. Furthermore, salivary flow and probing depth presented a slight increase. Post-surgery patients showed an increase (%) in tooth wear at the dentin level [MD = -6.23; IC95% = -8.45--4.01; I-2 = 0%].ConclusionPatients undergoing BS show no difference when considering the rate of caries or missing teeth and little to no effect was observed on salivary flow rates and periodontal probing depth. On the other hand, greater attention should be given to dentin wear in post-surgical patients of BS.