Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2026 Jan 24:27981. doi: 10.4317/medoral.27981. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease (PD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory condition linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and dementia, yet it is unclear how far medical specialty guidelines translate this evidence into concrete recommendations for assessment, referral and shared care.
OBJECTIVE: To map clinical practice guidelines, consensus statements and position papers that contain explicit, actionable recommendations on PD within major medical specialties.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and reported according to PRISMA-ScR. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and LILACS were searched from 2005 to 2025 using MeSH/DeCS and free-text terms for periodontal disease, guideline documents and target specialties. Records were de-duplicated, screened in Rayyan by two independent reviewers and included if they were peer-reviewed or professionally endorsed guidance for adults that contained explicit periodontal recommendations. Data were charted in a standardized matrix and synthesized descriptively by specialty.
RESULTS: The search yielded a small corpus of eligible documents. Operational recommendations were concentrated in diabetes-periodontitis statements, with fewer detailed pathways in cardiovascular and dementia care and very limited or absent guidance in obstetrics/gynecology and rheumatology. Across documents, PD was framed as a modifiable risk or complication, but periodontal definitions, screening intervals and division of responsibilities between medical and dental providers were heterogeneous or poorly specified.
CONCLUSIONS: Few medical specialty guidelines formally integrate PD into chronic disease care. Harmonized, multidisciplinary guidance with standardized definitions, clear referral criteria and shared follow-up schedules is needed to embed periodontal health within noncommunicable disease management.
PMID:41578910 | DOI:10.4317/medoral.27981