The association of periodontitis with telomere length: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker of biological aging and has been linked to various health outcomes; however, its relationship with periodontitis remains inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between periodontitis and TL. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, Medline, and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies published until August 2025. The differences in mean TL between those with and without periodontitis were measured using standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), while standardized beta coefficients (β) and their 95% CIs were applied to assess the strength of the association using a random effects model. RESULTS: Ten observational studies including 22,625 participants were analyzed. The overall results indicated no significant difference in mean TL between individuals with and without periodontitis (SMD = -0.03, 95% CI = -0.09 to 0.03). Additionally, no significant association was observed between periodontitis and TL (β = -0.001, 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.01). Subgroup analysis revealed that patients under 50 years old (SMD = -0.25, 95% CI = -0.41 to -0.09) and Asian patients (SMD = -0.44, 95% CI = -0.82 to -0.06) had significantly shorter TL compared to those without periodontitis. Additionally, periodontitis was significantly inversely associated with TL in these groups (age < 50: β = -0.07, 95% CI = -0.11 to -0.03; Asians: β = -0.20, 95% CI = -0.38 to -0.03). CONCLUSION: Periodontitis may be linked to shorter TL, indicating that TL could potentially serve as a biomarker for periodontal health.