Periodontal pathogenic bacteria among high school children in Saudi Arabia

Early detection of oral bacteria causing gum infections and dental caries in children

Background and Objectives

Periodontal diseases are resulted from gum infections and dental plaques, which are mainly caused by the bacterial agents. Since dental monitoring includes important prognostic roles, the aim of this study was to detect the most common periodontal pathogenic bacteria in children.

Materials and Methods

A total of 200 clinical samples were collected from dental plaques and gingival grooves. Target-specific primers were designed for hbpA in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, fimA in Porphyromonas gingivalis and 16S rRNA in Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola. Then, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction method was optimized for the highlighted bacterial agents.

Results

In general, the highest and the lowest bacterial prevalence rates belonged to Tannerella forsythia (88%) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (13%), respectively. Furthermore, prevalence rates of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia and Treponema denticola were 25, 21 and 45% in samples, respectively.

Conclusion

There were significant associations between dental/oral health and microbial community. Metabolism of the oral bacteria, including biofilm formation, can affect gums and develop dental plaques and hence dental caries, especially in children. Early diagnosis of dental caries in children via rapid, accurate molecular methods can increase the diagnostic capacity in clinical cases and therefore prevent periodontal infections in adulthood.

Association between Maternal Periodontitis and Development of Systematic Diseases in Offspring

Periodontal disease (PD) is one of the most common oral conditions affecting both youths and adults. There are some research works suggesting a high incidence of PD in pregnant women. As an inflammatory disease of bacterial origin, PD may result in the activation of the pathways affecting the course and the pregnancy outcome. The authors, based on the literature review, try to answer the PICO question: Does maternal periodontitis (exposure) influence the incidence of complications rates in pregnancy and the development of systemic diseases in childhood and adult offspring (outcome) in the humans of any race (population) compared to the offspring of mothers with healthy periodontium (comparison)? The authors try to describe the molecular pathways and mechanisms of these interdependencies. There is some evidence that maternal periodontitis may affect the pregnancy course and outcome, resulting in preeclampsia, preterm delivery, vulvovaginitis and low birth weight. It can be suggested that maternal periodontitis may affect offspring epigenome and result in some health consequences in their adult life.