Consumption of sugary drinks may increase the risk of periodontal disease

"SSBs consumption may increase gingival bleeding, thereby gingivitis and periodontitis risk," the researchers wrote. "Intake of added sugars like SSBs should be considered as a potential factor during risk assessment of gingivitis/periodontitis."

Anika Dawar, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, and colleagues aimed to determine the association between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and periodontal disease in a systematic review.

To conduct a literature search on five electronic databases till January 2022, the researchers followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. It included systemically healthy individuals consuming SSBs and presenting periodontal disease (gingivitis/periodontitis).

The Grading of Recommendation Assessment Development and Evaluation criteria and modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale were respectively used to assess the evidence's quality and the risk of bias.

Of the 1303 eligible records identified in the initial search, ten studies (one case–control and nine cross-sectional) were selected for the final review.

The key findings of the review are as follows:

· Among the included articles, five reported SSBs intake in the form of carbonated soft drinks, two as soft drinks, two as sugary drinks, and one as coffee with added sugar.

· Four studies reported gingivitis as an outcome, while the remaining six studies reported periodontitis using validated indices.

· The included studies were of medium to high quality.

This is the first reported evidence regarding the association of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with the risk of gingivitis/periodontitis," the researchers wrote.

"As the intake of SSBs is a modifiable lifestyle factor contributing to the escalating incidence of periodontal disease, dentists should strongly stress on restriction of added sugars and diet modification as part of the management strategy for periodontal disease," they suggested.

"Further studies are warranted to establish additional evidence of association," they concluded.

Reference:

Gupta, V., Dawar, A., Bhadauria, U. S., Purohit, B. M., & Nilima, N. (2023). Sugar-sweetened beverages and periodontal disease: A systematic review. Oral Diseases, 29(8), 3078-3090. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.14368