Non-Cochrane · intervention · PM41907859
The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the non-surgical management of periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Benincasa Gianluca, Liguori Margherita Giorgia, Tarallo Francesco, et al. · Frontiers in oral health · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.3389/froh.2026.1761032
Findings
20 findings
| Population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults with stage II-IV periodontitis, systemically healthy or with controlled systemic conditions | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA (with or without ASA) | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 3 months | MD -0.44 [-0.62, -0.25] Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 10 studies · 492 participants |
| Adults with stage II-IV periodontitis, systemically healthy or with controlled systemic conditions | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA (with or without ASA) | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 3 months | MD -0.49 [-0.75, -0.23] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency, publication bias 10 studies · 492 participants |
| Adults with stage II-IV periodontitis, systemically healthy or with controlled systemic conditions | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA (with or without ASA) | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 6 months | MD -0.58 [-0.96, -0.21] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency, publication bias 7 studies · 318 participants |
| Adults with stage II-IV periodontitis, systemically healthy or with controlled systemic conditions | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA (with or without ASA) | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 6 months | MD -0.45 [-0.76, -0.14] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency, publication bias 7 studies · 318 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA alone | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 6 months · Omega-3 alone in healthy patients | MD -0.31 [-0.93, 0.31] GRADE not reported 1 study · 40 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA alone | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 6 months · Omega-3 alone in healthy patients | MD -0.07 [-0.47, 0.33] GRADE not reported 1 study · 40 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA alone | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 3 months · Omega-3 alone in healthy patients | MD -0.61 [-0.92, -0.3] GRADE not reported 5 studies · 234 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA alone | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 3 months · Omega-3 alone in healthy patients | MD -0.48 [-0.59, -0.36] GRADE not reported 5 studies · 234 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 3 months · Omega-3 + ASA in healthy patients | MD -0.37 [-0.94, 0.19] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 118 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 6 months · Omega-3 + ASA in healthy patients | MD -0.39 [-1.32, 0.54] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 118 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 6 months · Omega-3 + ASA in healthy patients | MD -0.43 [-1.1, 0.23] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 118 participants |
| Systemically healthy adults with stage II-IV periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 3 months · Omega-3 + ASA in healthy patients | MD -0.39 [-1.34, 0.56] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 118 participants |
| Adults with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 6 months · Omega-3 + ASA in patients with type II diabetes | MD -0.49 [-1.47, 0.49] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 90 participants |
| Adults with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 3 months · Omega-3 + ASA in patients with type II diabetes | MD -0.42 [-1.34, 0.51] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 90 participants |
| Adults with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 6 months · Omega-3 + ASA in patients with type II diabetes | MD -0.63 [-1.61, 0.34] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 90 participants |
| Adults with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA + ASA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 3 months · Omega-3 + ASA in patients with type II diabetes | MD -0.56 [-1.49, 0.37] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 90 participants |
| Postmenopausal women with periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 3 months · Omega-3 in postmenopausal women | MD -0.42 [-0.75, -0.09] GRADE not reported 1 study · 50 participants |
| Postmenopausal women with periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 3 months · Omega-3 in postmenopausal women | MD -0.42 [-0.71, -0.13] GRADE not reported 1 study · 50 participants |
| Postmenopausal women with periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Clinical attachment level (CAL) 6 months · Omega-3 in postmenopausal women | MD -0.9 [-1.41, -0.39] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 70 participants |
| Postmenopausal women with periodontitis | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA | NSPT + placebo (SRP alone) | Probing pocket depth (PPD) 6 months · Omega-3 in postmenopausal women | MD -0.67 [-1.02, -0.33] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 70 participants |
Included primary studies 16
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stando 2020 Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids EPA and DHA as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Treatment of Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. PMID:32867199 | 2020 | 3 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Deore 2014 Omega 3 fatty acids as a host modulator in chronic periodontitis patients: a randomised, double-blind, palcebo-controlled, clinical trial. PMID:24616831 | 2014 | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| El-Sharkawy 2010 Adjunctive treatment of chronic periodontitis with daily dietary supplementation with omega-3 Fatty acids and low-dose aspirin. PMID:20572767 | 2010 | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Maybodi 2022 Effects of omega-3 supplementation as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy on periodontal parameters in periodontitis patients:… PMID:36414947 | 2022 | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Stando-Retecka 2023 Clinical and microbiological outcomes of subgingival instrumentation supplemented with high-dose omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in… PMID:37179297 | 2023 | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Elgendy 2018 Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Chronic Periodontitis Patients in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Study. PMID:30175329 | 2018 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Elwakeel 2015 Effect of omega 3 fatty acids plus low-dose aspirin on both clinical and biochemical profiles of patients with chronic periodontitis and… PMID:25604769 | 2015 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Martinez 2014 Serum level changes of long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients undergoing periodontal therapy combined with one year of omega-3… PMID:25177518 | 2014 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Araujo 2025 Omega-3 and aspirin in the nonsurgical treatment of grade C periodontitis: A randomized clinical trial. PMID:39950354 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Castro Dos Santos 2020 Omega-3 PUFA and aspirin as adjuncts to periodontal debridement in patients with periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Randomized… PMID:32103495 | 2020 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Eldessouky 2024 Nonsurgical Treatment of Periodontitis in Menopausal Patients: A Randomized Control Trial. PMID:38510979 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Keskiner 2017 Dietary supplementation with low-dose omega-3 fatty acids reduces salivary tumor necrosis factor-α levels in patients with chronic… PMID:28177133 | 2017 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kujur 2020 Efficacy of omega 3 fatty acid as an adjunct in the management of chronic periodontitis: A randomized controlled trial. PMID:32436902 | 2020 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Martinez 2013 The impact of non-surgical periodontal treatment on serum levels of long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids: a pilot randomized clinical… PMID:23721647 | 2014 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Naqvi 2017 Impact of Docosahexaenoic Acid Therapy on Subgingival Plaque Microbiota. PMID:28517974 | 2017 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Rampally 2019 Comparison of effectiveness of low-dose aspirin versus omega-3 fatty acids as adjuvants to nonsurgical periodontal therapy in Type II… PMID:31143006 | 2019 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Adults (>=18 years), systemically healthy or with controlled systemic conditions, with stage II-IV periodontitis | Adults with stage II-IV periodontitis; systemically healthy, type 2 diabetes (n=3 RCTs) and postmenopausal women (n=2 RCTs); sample sizes 15 to 80 (16 RCTs) |
| Intervention | NSPT (subgingival instrumentation) plus omega-3 PUFA for at least 1 month, with or without ASA | NSPT + omega-3 PUFA alone (10 RCTs), omega-3 + ASA (5 RCTs), omega-3 and ASA as separate arms (1 RCT); 500 to 3,000 mg/day for 1 to 12 months |
| Comparison | NSPT plus placebo | NSPT + placebo or NSPT alone |
| Outcomes | Primary: CAL and PPD change. Secondary: added effect of ASA, PROMs on tolerability and adverse effects | CAL and PPD change at 3 and 6 months (meta-analysis of 10 studies at 3 months and 7 at 6 months); BoP, PI, biochemical and microbiological outcomes and PROMs reported narratively |
| Study designs | RCTs | 16 parallel-group single-center RCTs (2010 to 2025) |
| Timing | Short-term outcomes at 3 and/or 6 months | Follow-up of 3 months (6 RCTs), 4 months (1), 6 months (7), 12 months (2) |