The Association of Helicobacter pylori in the Oral Cavity With Dental Caries in Patients With and Without Gastric Infection: A Systematic Review

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) organisms are well-recognized pathogens responsible for many GI diseases. Streptococcus mutans-related caries and H. pylori infection share similar risk factors such as early childhood occurrence and low socioeconomic status. Therefore, it is possible for these two bacterial diseases to co-exist in the same environment. The present review evaluates the association of H. pylori with dental caries in patients with and without gastric infection, with the objective of comparing the association of H. pylori with dental caries in patients with and without gastric infection. A computerized literature search was performed in online databases from September 2000 to September 2022 using both electronic and manual searches for scientific databases. The research question was framed following the patient/population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes (PICO) statement. A thorough literature search identified a total of 200 manuscripts. Out of which, 100 were duplicate records and 100 were screened for eligibility, and about 78 articles were excluded, as they were not following PICO and the eligibility criterion. The retrieved 22 articles were sought for retrieval, only 17 were retrieved, and two studies did not fulfill the requirement. A total of 15 studies were recorded as eligible for the present review. There is a close association between the presence of infection of H. pylori in the oral cavity and the increased number of dental caries incidence in patients, even without a gastric infection. This suggests that the oral cavity is another niche for H. Pylori and may be the source of infection, re-infection, and transmission into the stomach.