Abstract: Ethanol metabolism is related to oxidative stress, leading to cell changes inflammatory processes such as cell death or cell cycle arrest. Alcohol intake can lead to bone destruction and change the expression of interleukin, metalloproteinase and proinflammatory signal. However, reports about the potential effect of alcohol intake on periodontitis lack consistency, and the mechanism of its effect is even less known. This review summarized the effect of alcohol intake on periodontitis, proposed its possible mechanism and provided ideas for followup research.

Key words: alcohol, metabolism, periodontitis