Periodontal Disease in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Cardiovascular Risk and Side Effects of Corticotherapy Involving Oral Health

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and periodontal disease (PD) are two chronic inflammatory diseases that share common pathogenetic mechanisms. Therefore, it is thought that a correlation between the two pathologies might exist. PD itself, when not associated with SLE, does not cause major cardiovascular events, but it contributes to the development of atherosclerosis, which is the major cause of death among patients with SLE. This article aims to summarize the available literature concerning the association between these two disorders (PD prevalence in patients with SLE, correlations between periodontal damage and SLEDAI activity score), to present the main mechanisms by which the two pathologies affect the cardiovascular system and to evaluate the impact of SLE corticosteroid therapy on periodontal tissue.