Research advances in the correlations between periodontal disease and autophagy

Periodontal disease is a common and frequently occurring oral disease, with numerous investigations on periodontitis etiology and treatment. The development of periodontal disease is affected by many factors, including local stimulation and systemic risk factors, and dental plaque biofilm is regarded as an initial factor. The molecular mechanisms of how dental plaque biofilm and other risk factors regulate the development of periodontal disease remain unclear. Autophagy is a ubiquitous self-regulating mechanism of eukaryotes and a process of cell self-phagocytosis and digestion. Autophagy is a complex process, involving a variety of cellular and tissue activities, including cellular stress, clearance of endogenous and exogenous cellular components, development, aging and cancer. Recent studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to inflammation. This paper addresses recent research advances in understanding the correlations between periodontal disease and autophagy to provide a reference in the study of new methods to treat periodontal disease from the perspective of autophagy in the future.