[Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori detected by real-time PCR in the subgingival plaque of patients with chronic periodontitis].

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori plays a significant role in gastric disease. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate the prevalence of H. pylori detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) in the sub-gingival plaque of chronic periodontitis patients and to determine periodontopathogens profile of positive sites at H. pylori.

METHODOLOGY: 109 subgingival samples collected from 17 subjects with chronic periodontitis were studied. The DNA was extracted from the oral samples and analyzed for the presence of H. pylori by real-time PCR (LightCycler) using 16S rRNA#120 primers which targeted the 16S rRNA gene. DNA from H. pylori DSM 4867 was used as a positive control. Seven bacteria implicated in chronic periodontitis were selected to explore the presence of these periodontopathic species in the oral positive sites for H. pylori.

RESULTS

16 of 109 samples (14.7%) were positives of H. pylori. All the positives sites were also positives to Fusobacterium nucleatum and Eikenella corrodens, 62.5% to Porphyromonas gingivalis, 31.25% to Treponema denticola, 25% to Prevotella intermedia, 12.5% to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and 6.25% to Tannerella forsythia.

CONCLUSIONS

H. pylori may be present in the subgingival plaque samples of patients with chronic periodontitis who are resident in a developing country. F. nucleatum and E. corrodens could coaggregate with H. pylori in the subgingival dental plaque.