PURPOSE: To review the literature on the effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment on surrogate markers of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and to clarify the impact of periodontal disease on systemic inflammation. METHODS: PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been adopted. An electronic search in PubMed up to December 2018 was performed using the following search terms and keywords alone or in combination: non surgical periodontal therapy, atherosclerotic vascular disease (AVD), operative surgical procedures, CVD, IL-6, CRP, cholesterol, LDL, oxidized low density lipoprotein, HDL, endothelial dysfunction, dependent dilatation, carotid intima media thickness, periodontitis, tunica intima. RESULTS: The electronic search resulted in the inclusion of 28 articles that were grouped and discussed based on the investigated surrogate markers. Meta-analysis was not carried out due to the heterogeneity of the results. The included studies demonstrated that periodontal treatments contribute to the resolution of oral inflammation and in turn might positively modulate the levels of systemic inflammatory markers. The initial phase of periodontal therapy has a positive impact on the short-term reduction of a series of systemic markers that are considered as surrogate markers of AVD. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The non-surgical therapy of periodontal disease would positively reduce the levels of systemic inflammation markers, decreasing the vascular risk and the possibility of developing CVD or the subclinical progression of the disease.