METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, Science Direct, SciELO, and CNKI were systematically searched to identify all relevant studies published up to 01 June 2020.
RESULTS: A total of 60 case-control studies with 5313 cases and 6528 controls met our inclusion criteria. Overall, the pooled data showed that the IL-10 -592C>A polymorphism was statistically associated with increased risk of periodontitis in the overall population, while no significant association was identified for IL-10 -1082A>G and IL-10 -819C>T polymorphisms. The subgroup analysis by ethnicity revealed that the IL-10 -1082A>G polymorphism was significantly associated with periodontitis risk in Caucasians, IL-10 -819C>T polymorphism in mixed population, and IL-10 -592C>A polymorphism in both Asians and mixed populations. When further analyzed by periodontitis type, only the IL-10 -592C>A polymorphism was associated with CP risk, but not AgP; and the IL-10 -1082A>G and -819C>T polymorphisms have not positive association neither in the CP and AgP.
CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis showed that the IL-10 -592C>A polymorphism was statistically associated with periodontitis risk in the overall population. Moreover, the IL-10 -1082A>G, IL-10 -819C>T, and IL-10 -592C>A polymorphisms were associated with periodontitis risk by ethnicity. Therefore, the IL-10 polymorphisms are of high clinical relevance by ethnicity and would be a useful marker to identify patients who are at higher risk for periodontitis.