Characteristics of the included African studies.
| Study, country | Design; setting | Sample size (n) | Periodontal measure | Cardiovascular construct | Adjustment variables | Principal finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belinga et al. [19] 2018, Cameroon | Prospective observational; 3 hospitals | 558 | Dutch periodontal screening index | Physician-diagnosed CVD (mainly hypertension) | Age, sex, lifestyle (logistic regression) | Periodontitis OR 2.87 (1.04–7.93); gingivitis OR 4.30 (1.85–10.00) |
| Ngan et al. [20] 2021, Cameroon | Cross-sectional; military population | 205 | Dutch periodontal screening index | Cardiovascular risk profile | NR (descriptive) | Poorer oral health tracked with adverse cardiovascular risk profile |
| Ngoude et al. [12] 2021, Cameroon | Cross-sectional; 3 hospitals | 83 | Plaque, gingival, pocket depth, attachment loss | Metabolic syndrome components | Unadjusted OR; exclusions by design (diabetes, hypertension, smoking) | Periodontitis was associated with obesity (OR 11.1 [3.97–31.03]) and low HDL (OR 4.58 [1.79–11.70]) |
| Gatarayiha et al. [21] 2024, Rwanda | Cross-sectional; 2 referral hospitals | 420 | CAL, BoP, pocket depth | Hypertension | Adjusted (logistic regression) | CAL: adjusted OR 6.24 (1.99–19.56) |
| Oyapero et al. [22] 2023, Nigeria | Cross-sectional; cardiology clinic | 268 | Clinical attachment loss; caries (DMFT) | CVD risk indicators (in CVD patients) | Adjusted: age, sex, BMI, lipids, education, smoking, alcohol, BP control (multivariable logistic regression) | CAL independently associated with diabetes, smoking, and obesity (adjusted ORs) |
| Yamori et al. [24] 2011, Tanzania | Cross-sectional; community women | 81 | Periodontal examination | Hypertension; potassium intake | Exclusions by design (smoking, alcohol, medication); multiple regression | Periodontitis severity correlated with higher systolic and diastolic BP |
| Umeizudike et al. [23] 2016, Nigeria | Cross-sectional survey; physicians | 109 | Knowledge construct | Awareness of periodontal-CVD link | Not applicable (survey) | Inadequate awareness among internal medicine residents (28.4% adequate) |
BoP: bleeding on probing; BP: blood pressure; CAL: clinical attachment loss; CVD: cardiovascular disease; DMFT: decayed, missing, filled teeth; HDL: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; NR: not reported; OR: odds ratio. Sample sizes are the analysed samples reported in each source.