Advancements in diagnosing apical periodontitis

Research conducted by Jose Mario Matos-Sousa established a connection between apical periodontitis and systemic biomarkers. It mainly included inflammatory indicators such as interleukins (IL-1, IL-2 and IL-6) in the bloodstream, salivary oxidative markers (nitric oxide and superoxide anions), and immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) specifying the adaptive immune response.

The study published in the journal 'Frontiers in Immunology' sought to explore the relationship between systemic biomarkers and apical periodontitis (AP) in adults, focusing on their influence on inflammation.

This study adhered to the PRISMA guidelines. Adult humans with apical periodontitis were compared to those without observing biomarker presence. Articles were searched across different databases-Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature, OpenGray, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar.

The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of studies, which resulted in 17 final articles (case-control, cross-sectional or cohort studies). Of these, 8 were low-risk, 1 was medium-risk, and 8 were high-risk for bias. Biomarkers were assessed in blood plasma in 12 articles, saliva in 4 articles, and gingival crevicular fluid in 1 article.

The review discovered no direct cause-and-effect relationship, between apical periodontitis and increased levels of biomarkers in the body. It is vital to emphasize the relationship between oral and overall health, as well as to develop efficient methods for preventing and treating periodontal diseases and apical periodontitis to minimize systemic complications stemming from oral inflammation. However, diverse methodologies among studies highlight the need for standardized clinical investigations for a better understanding of biomarker associations with apical periodontitis.