Is Khat (Catha edulis) chewing a risk factor for periodontal diseases? A systematic review.

B Kalakonda,A Ijaz,S Gamal,E Dhaifullah,Sa Al-Maweri,Hm Al-Shamiri

doi:10.4317/jced.54163

Abstract

BackgroundKhat (Catha edulis) chewing is a highly prevalent habit in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa, and has recently spread to Western countries. The association between khat chewing and oral mucosal lesions is well documented in the literature. However, there is no concrete evidence on the association between khat chewing and periodontal disease. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the influence of khat chewing on periodontal health.Material and MethodsA literature search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Sciences databases was carried out to identify relevant articles published from 1990 to May 2017. The inclusion criteria were all clinical studies that assessed the relationship between khat chewing and periodontal disease.ResultsThe search yielded 122 articles, of which 10 were included in this systematic review. Most of the studies exhibited a positive correlation between khat chewing and periodontal disease.ConclusionsAltogether, the analysis of the current evidence reveals that khat chewing is destructive to the periodontium and enhances the risk of periodontal disease progression. However, due to variability of studies, more longitudinal case-controlled studies are highly warranted to establish a causal relation between khat chewing and periodontal disease. Key words:Khat chewing, periodontal health, periodontal disease, risk factor.

Highlights

Khat or Qat (Catha Edulis) is an evergreen plant that is widely cultivated in Yemen and some parts of East Africa and Southern Arabia [1]
Rosenzweig and Smith [10] were the first to propose a possible effect of khat chewing on periodontal tissues when they noticed that Jewish males of Yemeni origin with history of khat chewing before immigration to Israel had higher rates of periodontal diseases compared to other ethnic groups
Chewing side had less PI, GI and Probing pocket depth (PPD) than non-chewing sides but gingival recession was more prominent in the chewing side

Summary

Introduction

Khat or Qat (Catha Edulis) is an evergreen plant that is widely cultivated in Yemen and some parts of East Africa and Southern Arabia [1]. Khat chewing is predominantly a male habit, the number of women indulging in this habit is on the rise. Several studies have investigated the effects of habitual khat chewing on periodontal tissues. In light of the above contradictory results, this review aimed to systematically evaluate the evidence on the association between khat chewing and periodontal disease. Khat (Catha edulis) chewing is a highly prevalent habit in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa, and has recently spread to Western countries. There is no concrete evidence on the association between khat chewing and periodontal disease. The inclusion criteria were all clinical studies that assessed the relationship between khat chewing and periodontal disease. Most of the studies exhibited a positive correlation between khat chewing and periodontal disease. Due to variability of studies, more longitudinal case-controlled studies are highly warranted to establish a causal relation between khat chewing and periodontal disease

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Results

Conclusion