Association between periodontitis and IVF outcome: A review

Objective: Conduct a review of literature studying the connection between periodontal diseases and the outcome of in vitro fertilization.Methods and Materials: "IVF", "In Vitro Fertilization", and "Periodontitis" were searched on Pubmed, Web of science, and Google Scholar For English language publications up to August ۲۰۲۲. The CADTH was used to search the grey literature. A duplicate screening and extraction of citations were carried out.Results: There is a limited number of studies looking at the relationship between periodontitis and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Results of most articles support the hypothesis that periodontal disease can affect implantation in women trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization and vice versa. Sperm submobility and reduction in sperm count, also, were seen in males with periodontitis. Only in one study, there was no relation between the presence of periodontal diseases and unwanted results of IVF.Conclusion: Systemic bacteremia due to subclinical infections like periodontitis can hinder the reproductive functions. The importance of addressing the status of oral health before any infertility treatment should be included in primary examinations. However, more extensive research is required to understand the association between periodontal status and possible consequences in women seeking fertility care.