Association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha G-308A polymorphism and dental peri-implant disease risk

BACKGROUND Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a potent immune-inflammatory mediator involved in the regulation of bone resorption. The single nucleotide polymorphism G-308A in the TNF-α gene increases the level of this cytokine. This phenomenon is also related to several diseases. Although the association between TNF-α (G-308A) polymorphism and dental peri-implant disease has been investigated, results have remained controversial. Hence, we performed this meta-analysis to provide a comprehensive and systematic conclusion on this topic. METHODS We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure until July 2015. A fixed-effect model was established to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The calculated values were then used to assess the strength of the association between the TNF-α (G-308A) polymorphism and the dental peri-implant disease risk. The heterogeneity between included studies was evaluated with Cochran Q and I statistics. Interstudy publication bias was investigated with a funnel plot. RESULTS Six eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled ORs did not reveal a significant relationship between the TNF-α (G-308A) polymorphism and the disease susceptibility. Subgroup analyses in terms of ethnicity and disease type yielded similar results. CONCLUSION Our meta-analysis revealed that TNF-α (G-308A) polymorphism was not significantly associated with the risk of dental peri-implant disease. However, further studies with large sample sizes should be performed to verify these results.