Correlation of Periodontitis and In Vitro Fertilization Outcome: A Literature Review

This study reviewed the literature regarding the correlation of periodontal disease and outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

"IVF", "In Vitro Fertilization", and "Periodontitis" were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases to find English articles published up to August 2022. A free online resource developed by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health was used to search the grey literature. Duplicate screening and extraction of citations were also carried out. No search filter was applied during searching. Two independent reviewers evaluated the title and abstract of the retrieved articles. Next, the articles retrieved in the initial search were reviewed independently for relevant information to the research question.

The relationship between periodontitis and IVF has been studied in a limited number of studies. According to most articles, periodontal disease may affect IVF implantation and vice versa in women who want to conceive through this procedure. Low sperm motility and reduction in sperm count were also seen in males with periodontitis. Only one study found no correlation between the presence of periodontal disease and unwanted IVF results.  

According to the results, periodontitis can impair the reproductive function since it causes systemic bacteremia. Oral health should be addressed by the primary care providers before the onset of any fertility treatment. There is; however, a need for further investigations into the possible implications of periodontal disease in women seeking fertility care.