The presence of periopathogenic bacteria in subgingival and atherosclerotic plaques - An age related comparative analysis.

Ibrahim Kannosh,Ivana Grubisa,Zlata Brkic,Sanja Matic Petrovic,Ana Pucar,Jelena Milasin,Milos Lazarevic,Danijela Staletovic,Jelena Knezevic Vukcevic,Bosko Toljic,Milena Radunovic

doi:10.3855/jidc.10980

Abstract

There is a known connection between periodontitis and atherosclerosis and the presence of periopathogens in blood vessels. However, changes of the oral microflora related to the aging process and its possible effects on atherosclerosis, have yet to be analyzed. The aim of this study was to assess temporal changes in the frequency of periodontal bacteria in the subgingival plaque and in atherosclerotic blood vessels of patients with atherosclerosis. The study included 100 patients with atherosclerosis and periodontitis, divided into two groups, below and over 60 years of age. Clinical examinations were performedand subgingival plaque specimens were collected as well as biopsy specimens from the following arteries: coronary (34), carotid (29), abdominal (10), femoral (10), mammary (13) and iliac (4). Subgingival and artery specimens were subjected to PCR detection of 5 major periodontal pathogens: Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Tannerella forsythensis (Tf) and Treponema denticola (Td). Tf was the most and Td the least frequent bacteria in both age groups and in both types of samples. The frequencies of bacteria in subgingival versus atherosclerotic samples were: Tf (76%:53%), Pi (71%:31%), Pg (60%:38%), Aa (39%:14%) and Td (21%:6%). Only Aa and Pi showed a significant difference of prevalence between younger and older patients. The most colonized artery was a. coronaria, followed by a. carotis, a. abdominalis, a. mammaria, and a. femoralis. Patient's age and the distance of a given blood vessel from the oral cavity influenced microbiological findings in the atherotic plaque.

Highlights

There is a known connection between periodontitis and atherosclerosis and the presence of periopathogens in blood vessels
One hundred specimens of subgingival plaque of patients with moderate to severe periodontal disease and 100 specimens of their respective atherosclerotic blood vessels obtained during vascular surgery procedures, were subjected to periodontal bacteria detection
We detected T. forsythensis in 76%, P. intermedia in 71%, P. gingivalis in 60%, A. actinomycetemcomitans in 39% T. denticola in 21% of subgingival plaque samples

Summary

Introduction

There is a known connection between periodontitis and atherosclerosis and the presence of periopathogens in blood vessels. The aim of this study was to assess temporal changes in the frequency of periodontal bacteria in the subgingival plaque and in atherosclerotic blood vessels of patients with atherosclerosis. Methodology:The study included 100 patients with atherosclerosis and periodontitis, divided into two groups, below and over 60 years of age. Conclusions: Patient’s age and the distance of a given blood vessel from the oral cavity influenced microbiological findings in the atherotic plaque. Both periodontitis and atherosclerosis are common diseases in human adults. Atherosclerosis (AS) has been defined as a progressive disease that causes focal thickening of walls of arteries.

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