Helicobacter pylori in dental plaque and gastric mucosa.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Helicobacter pylori in both dental plaque and gastric mucus.

STUDY

DESIGN

Dental scaling hand instruments were used to collect supragingival and subgingival dental plaque from 81 dentate participants. Denture plaque was obtained from the fitting surfaces of dentures from 41 edentulous patients. Gastric mucus from gastric mucosa of antrum and body of stomach were collected from all 122 participants (92% white) with soft gastroscopic brush. These samples were dispersed in modified urea broth and normal saline solution before being inoculated onto selective Skirrow's agar and incubated in a microaerophilic atmosphere for culturing H. pylori.

RESULTS

Dental plaque from all dentate participants was negative for H. pylori culture. Only one 80-year-old edentulous patient had positive H. pylori culture in both gastric mucus and denture plaque.

CONCLUSIONS

Although dental plaque has a mixed flora that may act as a reservoir for gastric reinfection, dental plaque could not be implicated as the major reservoir of H. pylori for gastric reinfection.