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Current Global Status and the Epidemiology of Entamoeba gingivalis in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Acta Parasitologica volume 66, pages 1102–1113 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Entamoeba gingivalis (E. gingivalis) is one of the members of the wide range of oral resident pathogens in humans, particularly found in dental plaques, surfaces of gingiva or teeth, interdental spaces and carious lesions. The purpose of the current review and meta-analysis was to determine the global prevalence of E. gingivalis infection and its association with oral diseases based on published literatures.

Materials and Methods

Multiple English databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were explored for papers published until August 2020. A total of 52 studies (including 7596 participants) met the inclusion criteria.

Results

The overall prevalence of E. gingivalis was estimated to be 37% (95% CI 29–46%). With regard to different countries, the highest and lowest pooled prevalence of E. gingivalis infection were related to Jordan with 87% (95% CI 81–92%) and Portugal with 3% (95% CI 0–10%), respectively. Based on WHO regions, the highest prevalence was related to the region of the Americas with 56% (95% CI 31–79%). The infection was most prevalent in 46–55 mean age groups [61% (95% CI 21–94%)]. Among different diagnostic methods, the highest rate of the pooled prevalence was related to the molecular [53% (95% CI 24–81%)] and the direct methods [36% (95% CI 25–47%)], respectively. Our analyses revealed that E. gingivalis infection was associated with 4.34-fold increased risk of oral diseases (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Our findings revealed a high prevalence rate of the infection among periodontal disease patients with 37% (95% CI 20–57%). To conclude, it must be considered that E. gingivalis can be a risk factor associated with oral diseases and a wide range of research is needed to specify its role in the pathogenesis of these disorders.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran under the contract no. IR.QUMS.Rec.1399.318.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

    Milad Badri, Pegah Afsaneh Abadi, Morteza Ghanbari Johkool, Azam Ghorbani & Aida Vafae Eslahi

  2. Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Meysam Olfatifar

  3. Zoonoses Research Center, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran

    Amir Abdoli

  4. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Guilan, Iran

    Elham Houshmand

  5. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, Dental Caries Prevention Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

    Mahdieh Zarabadipour

Authors
  1. Milad Badri
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  2. Meysam Olfatifar
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  6. Pegah Afsaneh Abadi
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  9. Aida Vafae Eslahi
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Contributions

AVE and MB designed the study. EH, MZ, MGJ, AG and PAA searched for primary publications, screened and appraised primary studies. MB, AA, and AVE extracted the data and wrote the study manuscript. MO and MB contributed to data analysis and interpretation the manuscript. All authors read the manuscript and participated in the preparation of the final version of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aida Vafae Eslahi.

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The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

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Badri, M., Olfatifar, M., Abdoli, A. et al. Current Global Status and the Epidemiology of Entamoeba gingivalis in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Acta Parasit. 66, 1102–1113 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00423-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00423-2

Keywords

  • Entamoeba gingivalis
  • Prevalence
  • Worldwide; oral health
  • Systematic review