Dear Colleagues,

Periodontitis is one of the most frequent oral cavity and dental apparatus disorders, and both patients and general practitioners are becoming more aware of it. As a result, periodontology has established itself as a major specialty of dental medicine. Periodontology is concerned with the investigation and complete knowledge of periodontal diseases' pathogenic mechanisms, associated risk factors, and clinical aspects in order to provide trustworthy tools for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

The periodontium and its structural components (gingiva, cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone) are anatomical parts with a dense circulatory and nerve network. This provides a strong relationship between the periodontium and the rest of the human body, via the vascular, lymphatic, and neurological systems. As a result, every pathologic event that may affect the overall homeostasis of the body and the health condition of patients may be reflected at the periodontal level. In addition, periodontal disease can alter the patient's overall health and its treatment could reduce not only local but also systemic inflammation.

As the oral cavity is part of the gastrointestinal system, changes in the periodontal status can be the first sign of gastrointestinal diseases. Moreover, gingivitis and periodontitis are bacterial plaque-induced and can affect the gastrointestinal conditions through the swallowing of bacteria or the hematogenous way. A cascade of cytokines are expressed in blood and gingival crevicular fluid. Functional and structural diseases include hepatitis, NAFLD/MAFLD, cancers, peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, gastroenteritis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, indigestion (dyspepsia), pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel syndrome, Whipple’s disease, Zollinger–Ellison syndrome, malabsorption syndromes, etc.

Given this scientific background, the purpose of this Special Issue is to gather novel findings on possible pathogenic connections existing between periodontal diseases and metabolic/gastro-intestinal conditions, and their clinical consequences. This would lead to an improvement not only in the understanding of the subject, but also in patients’ life quality and well-being.

Prof. Dr. Petra Surlin
Prof. Dr. Ion Rogoveanu
Guest Editors

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• periodontal medicine
• cytokines
• gingivitis
• periodontitis
• metabolic conditions
• NAFLD
• diabetes mellitus
• gastro-intestinal disorders
• hepatitis
• gastric cancer
• colorectal cancer
• esophageal cancer
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• gastroenteritis
• inflammatory bowel disease