AIMS: To identify genetic biomarkers that may be used in the diagnosis, prevention or management of different forms of periodontal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following protocol registration and PICOTS (patient, intervention, comparison, outcome, time, studies) questions, a systematic search of the literature was conducted (PudMed, Ovid), resulting in 1592 papers screened by two reviewers. Diagnostic data were extracted or calculated from included papers and compared with clinically determined diagnoses, disease progression and/or response to treatment. RESULTS: A total of 607 articles met the inclusion criteria, including 10 reporting data on gingivitis and 597 on periodontitis. Only two papers reported diagnostic performance data, while for 41 articles on large candidate gene studies, diagnostic performance could be calculated from the reported data. No study using chair-side tests was identified. Low to moderate values for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy were found. CONCLUSION: No genetic diagnostic test of clinical value emerged for periodontal diagnosis, prevention or prediction of disease resolution. Thus, potential future applications of polygenic risk scores that encode susceptibility, as well as single-marker testing for monogenic or oligogenic forms of periodontal diseases, are discussed.