Helicobacter pylori colonization of the oral cavity: a scoping review

A scoping review will be conducted to synthesize the evidence and assess the scope of the literature on the biological mechanisms involved in the persistent and/or transient colonization of the oral cavity by H. pylori. This review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework (Tricco et al., 2018).

The primary focus of this review will be to describe the mechanisms of persistent and/or transient colonization of the oral cavity by H. pylori. As a secondary focus, the review will compare and describe the histological and molecular characteristics of the lower gastrointestinal tract and the oral cavity, based on the hypothesis of similarity in various secreted and cell membrane-associated molecules described in these environments. Additionally, the review will describe the microenvironment of the oral cavity, the interactions of H. pylori with the oral microbiota, and the receptors involved in H. pylori colonization, primarily mediated by various adhesins