Abstract
The oral cavity may serve as a reservoir of Helicobacter pylori. However, the factors required for H. pylori colonization are unknown. Here, we analyzed the relationship between the presence of H. pylori in the oral cavity and that of major periodontopathic bacterial species. Nested PCR was performed to detect H. pylori and these bacterial species in specimens of saliva, dental plaque, and dental pulp of 39 subjects. H. pylori was detected in seven dental plaque samples (17.9%), two saliva specimens (5.1%), and one dental pulp (2.6%) specimen. The periodontal pockets around the teeth, from which dental plaque specimens were collected, were significantly deeper in H. pylori-positive than H. pylori-negative subjects (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major periodontopathic pathogen, was detected at a significantly higher frequency in H. pylori-positive than in H. pylori-negative dental plaque specimens (p < 0.05). The distribution of genes encoding fimbriae (fimA), involved in the periodontal pathogenicity of P. gingivalis, differed between H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative subjects. We conclude that H. pylori can be present in the oral cavity along with specific periodontopathic bacterial species, although its interaction with these bacteria is not clear.
Highlights
Evidence indicates that Helicobacter pylori infects the human organism via the oral cavity and subsequently remains in the gastric tissue for the rest of its host’s life [1]
Nested PCR was performed using as a template bacterial DNA obtained from saliva, extracted teeth, and dental pulp specimens, using the previously described H. pylori-specific primers sets [13]
We evaluated the relationship between the presence of H. pylori and the distribution of periodontopathic bacterial species in the oral cavity
Summary
Evidence indicates that Helicobacter pylori infects the human organism via the oral cavity and subsequently remains in the gastric tissue for the rest of its host’s life [1]. Chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa is induced by ammonia and toxins produced by H. pylori [1], eventually causing gastric mucosal damage and diseases such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. H. pylori in the oral cavity may cause reinfection of the stomach after eradication therapy [2,3]. Among the more than 700 bacterial species that reside in the human oral cavity [4], some contribute to the progression of periodontal disease. Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia are called the red complex because of their high pathogenicity [5]. The orange complex comprises bacteria such as Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens, and Campylobacter rectus, which are associated with periodontal disease, and provides a link between pathogenic species such as the red complex and commensal bacteria [5]. Commensal bacteria known as Biomedicines 2020, 8, 161; doi:10.3390/biomedicines8060161 www.mdpi.com/journal/biomedicines
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