Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver and Periodontal Disease: Is there a Relationship? A Contemporary Review

Periodontal disease is a common inflammatory disease and is known to be related to other systemic diseases. This bidirectional relation between periodontal disease and other disease processes has led to outstanding research recently. In addition, periodontal disease has been advocated to exacerbate metabolic disorders including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this traditional review, general characteristics of periodontal diseases, general characteristics of NAFLD/ Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and their causality were discussed for treatment providers. The collected data significantly corroborate a greater incidence of periodontal disease among individuals with NAFLD in comparison to the general healthy population. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the association between NAFLD and periodontal disease thus patient management effectiveness can be enhanced.