IDENTIFICATION OF PERIODONTAL PATHOGENS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC GENERALIZED PERIODONTITIS DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF INFLAMMATION

Abstract

Introduction. The progression of chronic generalized periodontitis is associated with gram-negative anaerobic bacteria. Microbiological diagnostics of periodontal disease provides an opportunity for selecting the most effective therapeutic approach for both local and systemic conditions in patients. Aim of this study is to conduct a qualitative assessment of the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the periodontal pockets of patients, based on the severity of inflammation. Materials and methods. The presence of five key pathogenic microorganisms in the periodontal pocket contents of 90 individuals aged 25-60 years (45 with grade I severity and 45 with grade II) was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The analysis was conducted with the CFX96™ Real-Time PCR Detection System (BIO-RAD) and the PeriodontScreen Real-TM reagent kit (Sacace Biotechnologies Srl, Italy). Non-parametric correlation statistical analysis was performed to calculate Kendall’s Tau and Gamma coefficients. In 27 patients (60%) with grade I severity, bacteria of a single species were identified. Two types of periodontal pathogens were detected in 13 patients (28.9%), with the most common combination being Tannerella forsythia and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, found in 5 patients (11.1%); 5 patients (11.1%) showed the presence of three microbial species: Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Among the patients with grade II severity, 8 patients (17.8%) had bacteria of one species, specifically Prevotella intermedia. Two microbial species were identified in 9 patients (20%), while three species were present in 15 patients (33.3%). The most frequent combination included Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, found in 5 patients (11.1%). Four types of microbes were detected in 13 patients (28.9%), with the predominant combination being Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (17.8%). None of the patients with grade II severity had all five periodontopathogenic agents. The correlation analysis confirmed that chronic periodontitis is strongly associated with the presence of Tannerella forsythia within microbial associations. Conclusions. The spectrum of periodontal pathogens affects the severity of inflammation in the periodontium. In grade II inflammation, associations of periodontal pathogens were detected by 82.2% of cases, while in grade I by in 40%. Tannerella forsythia was detected in 42.2% of patients with grade I inflammation, 15.6% of them as a mono-infection; in patients with grade II inflammation in 71.1%, in associations with Treponema denticola in 48.9%. Determining the spectrum of periodontal pathogens, taking into account their characteristics and associated virulence factors, is necessary for choosing the effective differentiated treatment approach.