Parkinson's Disease as a Risk Factor for Dental Caries? – Results of a Systematic Review
Abstract
This systematic review aimed in the evaluation of dental caries in patients suffering from Parkinsons disease (PD), to answer the question, whether PD patients show a higher caries burden compared to controls. In January 2025, a systematic literature search in the platforms PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science was performed, using the search terms “parkinson” AND “caries” and “parkinson’s disease” AND “caries”. Data of studies, which also included a control group were extracted and qualitatively analyzed. The whole process was performed by two independent reviewers. Furthermore, a quality appraisal was performed. Overall, seven studies were included in the qualitative analysis, which originated from six different countries and included between 30 and 104 participants in the PD group. The de-ceased-, missing- and filled-teeth index (DMFT) was the most frequent caries assessment. In 5 of the 7 studies a significant difference in caries prevalence was found between patients with PD and controls, whereby only 3 of these studies showed worse caries burden in PD group. Moreover, it was shown that most of included studies were assessed to be of moderate quality. In conclusion, it can be stated that while the evidence for a higher caries prevalence of PD patients compared with controls is weak, burden of caries in patients with PD is high. Patients with PD should receive increased attention in dental care.
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