Cytokines profile in gingival crevicular fluid of subjects wearing fixed dental prostheses: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Fixed dental prostheses (FDP) can affect the production of inflammatory cytokines causing damage to periodontal tissues. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out with the following two objectives: (1) to determine the prevalence and function of the different inflammatory cytokines present in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of teeth with metal–ceramic (M/C) and all-ceramic (A-Cs) prostheses, and (2) to analyze and compare the levels of inflammatory cytokines in GCF of teeth with M/C and A-Cs prostheses. Methods The protocol followed PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines and was registered in the OSF:10.17605/OSF.IO/RBHJU. A digital search was conducted in the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, from July 15th, 2000 to March 1st, 2024. Study quality was assessed using the JBI tool for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to evaluate the concentration of IL-1β in GCF of teeth with FDP of M/C and A-Cs. Results The search strategy provided a total of 8,172 articles, of which 14 investigations met the inclusion criteria. The total number of patients studied was 468 of whom 53% were women and the rest (47%) were men. The ages of the patients ranged from 19 to 73 years, with a mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of 38,5 ± 12,8 years. A total of 843 fixed dental prostheses were studied, of which 407 (48,27%) were M/C prostheses and 410 (48,63%) were A-Cs prostheses. We found that the levels of IL-1β, IL-1α, PGE2, NKA, CGRP, and CX3CL1 were increased in teeth with M/C prostheses compared to teeth with A-Cs prostheses. Meta-analysis revealed that there are no significant differences between IL-1β levels in GCF in teeth with M/C prostheses compared to teeth with A-Cs prostheses (SMD = 13.89 pg/ml (CI = −14.29–42.08), p = > 0.05). Conclusions A trend toward increased levels of inflammatory cytokines was found in GCF of teeth with M/C prostheses compared to teeth with A-Cs prostheses.