The Oral-Gut Axis: Periodontal Diseases and Gastrointestinal Disorders.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review describing mechanisms and animal models without systematic review methodology
PubMed 36527679 · doi:10.1093/ibd/izac241
What was done
This narrative review summarizes literature and mouse models evaluating the relationship between periodontal disease, oral microbiota dysbiosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and digestive tract malignancies.
What was found
The abstract provides no quantitative data or numerical effect sizes. It qualitatively describes mechanisms whereby oral pathobionts (including *Fusobacterium nucleatum* and *Porphyromonas gingivalis*) migrate to the distal gut, alter intestinal microbial diversity, induce microbe-reactive T cells, and promote IBD progression and colorectal carcinogenesis.
Why it matters
It highlights the biological pathways connecting oral inflammatory conditions to downstream gastrointestinal disease, framing the oral-gut axis as a potential target for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in gastrointestinal disorders.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search methodology, risk-of-bias assessment, and quantitative synthesis. Much of the underlying mechanistic evidence relies on mouse models of IBD and periodontal disease, limiting direct clinical extrapolation to humans.
Cited by
- supports Porphyromonas gingivalis infection is associated with inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of cancer.