The Potential Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Apical Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Recent literature has suggested a potential association between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and apical periodontitis (AP). The present systematic review and meta-analysis sought to analyse and appraise the available evidence regarding the reported association. Following 2020 PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search of multiple online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) was conducted for all relevant studies published from the date of inception until 27 April 2023 using various relevant keywords. All observational studies that assessed the association between IBD and AP in humans were eligible for inclusion. The quality of the selected studies was carried out independently by two reviewers, and meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2.2.064. Six studies (five case-control studies and one cohort study) were included. A total of 657 patients (277 with IBD) were included in 5 case-control studies, and 48,223 subjects (35,740 with AP) were included in the cohort study, where 188 developed IBD on follow-up. The pooled data from the five case-control studies revealed that IBD was significantly associated with a higher risk of AP (OR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.21-2.42; I2=10.337%, fixed-effect, p=0.002). The qualitative analysis also showed that most of the included studies found a higher mean number of teeth with AP in IBD groups than the healthy controls. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS)-based quality appraisal results demonstrated that five studies were of high quality, and one was of moderate quality. The results suggest a potential association between IBD and AP. Large-scale and prospective studies are required to further confirm and elucidate the nature of such an association.