Oral Diseases and Brain Pathologies: A Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis of Clinical, Neuroimaging, and Mechanistic Evidence.

Overview

Authors: Marines Vega Sanchez¹, Francisco Córdova¹, Maria Rodríguez Tatés¹, Luis Chauca Bajaña², Diego Quiguango Farías³, María Flores Araque¹, Byron Velásquez Ron⁴

ORCID iDs: Francisco Córdova, Diego Quiguango Farías, María Flores Araque, Byron Velásquez Ron

Carrera de Odontología, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Las Américas Ecuador (UDLA), Colon y 6 de Diciembre, Quito 170516, Ecuador; (M.V.S.); (F.C.); (M.R.T.); (M.F.A.)
Dental Sciences, College Dentistry, University of Guayaquil, Guayaquil 090514, Ecuador
Carrera Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170516, Ecuador
Department Prosthesis Research, Av. Colón y 6 Diciembre, Quito 170516, Ecuador

Institutions: Universidad de Las Américas (Ecuador); University of Guayaquil (Ecuador)

Journal: Biomedicines, volume 14, issue 4, article 768

Dates: received 23 February 2026; accepted 24 March 2026; published online 28 March 2026

Type: Review · Language: English

License: CC BY

Identifiers: DOI 10.3390/biomedicines14040768 · PMID 42072309 · PMCID PMC13113656 · OpenAlex W7143338787

Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)

Status: data only (how the code is found and verified)

Categories: other condition (population)

Methods: Preprocessing

Keywords: oral health, periodontitis, brain abscess, glioma, oral–brain axis, inflammation, extracellular vesicles

Topic: Oral microbiology and periodontitis research (Periodontics, Dentistry), according to OpenAlex

Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 51 references in the paper

Abstract

Background: Oral diseases such as periodontitis, dental infections, and oral dysbiosis have been increasingly associated with systemic conditions. Emerging evidence suggests a potential relationship between oral health and neurological disorders, including brain abscesses, structural brain alterations, and gliomas. However, the strength and mechanisms of these associations remain incompletely understood. Objective: To systematically review clinical, neuroimaging, genetic, and mechanistic evidence linking oral diseases with brain pathologies. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO, with complementary screening of SciELO, Redalyc, and LILACS databases. Studies evaluating associations between oral diseases (periodontitis, dental infections, caries, or oral microbiota alterations) and neurological outcomes were considered. Eligible study designs included observational clinical studies, Mendelian randomization analyses, neuroimaging studies, and experimental investigations. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to the substantial heterogeneity in study designs, outcomes, and effect metrics, quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible. Findings were therefore synthesized using a structured narrative approach following PRISMA guidelines. Results: Clinical studies consistently identified odontogenic infections as a relevant source of brain abscesses, frequently originating from chronic or clinically silent dental foci. Neuroimaging and genetic studies reported associations between poor oral health indicators and structural brain alterations, including reduced cortical thickness and white matter abnormalities. Experimental investigations suggested potential biological mechanisms involving microbial dissemination, systemic inflammation, and immune modulation. Virulence factors from Porphyromonas gingivalis have been shown to induce inflammatory signaling pathways and immune checkpoint activation in glioma cells. Conclusions: The current evidence suggests a possible association between oral diseases and several brain pathologies. Although causality cannot be established, the findings highlight the importance of oral health as a potentially modifiable factor relevant to neurological health. Further longitudinal and mechanistic studies are required to clarify these relationships.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

Datasets cited

zenodo:18773444, at Zenodo; found in “Data Availability Statement”

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are openly available in Zenodo 10.5281/zenodo.18773444.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 7 authors, 7 keywords, 51 references.

Cite

This paper

Vega Sanchez, M., Córdova, F., Rodríguez Tatés, M., Chauca Bajaña, L., Quiguango Farías, D., Flores Araque, M., & Velásquez Ron, B. (2026). Oral Diseases and Brain Pathologies: A Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis of Clinical, Neuroimaging, and Mechanistic Evidence. Biomedicines, 14(4), 768. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14040768

BibTeX

@article{vegasanchez2026oral, author = {Vega Sanchez, Marines and Córdova, Francisco and Rodríguez Tatés, Maria and Chauca Bajaña, Luis and Quiguango Farías, Diego and Flores Araque, María and Velásquez Ron, Byron}, title = {{Oral Diseases and Brain Pathologies: A Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis of Clinical, Neuroimaging, and Mechanistic Evidence}}, journal = {Biomedicines}, year = {2026}, month = mar, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {768}, publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)}, issn = {2227-9059}, doi = {10.3390/biomedicines14040768}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14040768}, pmid = {42072309}, pmcid = {PMC13113656} }

RIS

TY - JOUR AU - Vega Sanchez, Marines AU - Córdova, Francisco AU - Rodríguez Tatés, Maria AU - Chauca Bajaña, Luis AU - Quiguango Farías, Diego AU - Flores Araque, María AU - Velásquez Ron, Byron TI - Oral Diseases and Brain Pathologies: A Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis of Clinical, Neuroimaging, and Mechanistic Evidence T2 - Biomedicines J2 - Biomedicines PY - 2026 DA - 2026/03/28 VL - 14 IS - 4 SP - 768 SN - 2227-9059 PB - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) DO - 10.3390/biomedicines14040768 UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14040768 LA - en ER -

CSL-JSON

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