Search

Objectives: Culturable and unculturable microorganisms have been associated with periodontitis. Their differential proportions and composition have not been evaluated by their severity and complexity defined by stages in the 2018 AAP-EEP classification., Methods: One hundred eighty subgingival biofilm samples were collected in Spain and Colombia from subjects categorized as health/gingivitis: periodontitis stages I/II periodontitis stages III/IV. Target culturable microorganisms (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Eubacterium nodatum) and target unculturable microorganisms (Filifactor alocis, Eubacterium saphenum, Eubacterium brachy, Desulfobulbus oralis) were evaluated by quantitative PCR analysis. In addition, their differences and association with periodontal status were analyzed by ANCOVA and logistic regression models once adjusted to age, current smoking, and country., Results: P. gingivalis was significantly associated with periodontitis stages I/II, OR 2.44 (CI 95% 1.08-5.47) and stages III/V, OR 6.43 (CI 95% 2.43-16.9). T forsythia, OR 7.53 (CI 95% 2.07-27.4); D. oralis, OR 5.99 (CI 95% 2.71-13.23); F. alocis, OR 10.9 (CI 95% 4.56-23.2); E. brachy, 3.57 (CI 95% 1.40-9.11); and E. saphenum, 4.85 (CI 95% 1.99-11.7) were significantly associated only with stages III/IV periodontitis. P. gingivalis evidenced significant differences with the increase in the severity of the periodontal lesion: 2.97 colony forming unit (CFU)/μL (CI 95% 2.32-3.54) health/gingivitis, and 4.66 CFU/μL (CI 95% 4.03-5.30) and 5.90 CFU/μL (CI 95% 5.20-6.48) in stages I/II and III/IV respectively (p < 0.0001). Unculturable microorganisms only evidenced differences in concentration in stages III/IV compared with health-gingivitis (p ≤ 0.001)., Conclusion: Culturable and unculturable are strongly associated with stages III/IV periodontitis. Classic culturable microorganisms are more sensitive to differentiate between stages of periodontitis in the quantitative analysis., Clinical Relevance: Future interventional studies of periodontal disease should include Filifactor alocis, Eubacterium saphenum, Eubacterium brachy, and Desulfobulbus oralis as possible markers of therapy response and as indicators of progressive disease., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study investigated the subgingival microbial profile of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and its associations with disease parameters and the inflammation-related antimicrobial peptide, LL-37., Methods: RA and non-RA (NRA) patients were assessed for periodontal status and divided into periodontitis (CP), gingivitis (G), and healthy (H) groups. Subgingival plaque 16s rRNA gene sequencing data was processed and analyzed using the CLC Genomic Workbench (Qiagen). Bacterial diversity and co-occurrence patterns were examined. Differential abundance between groups was also investigated. Associations between bacterial genera with disease parameters and LL-37 levels were explored qualitatively using canonical correlation analysis., Results: Subgingival microbial community clustered in CP status. Co-occurrence network in NRA-H was dominated by health-associated genera, while the rest of the networks' key genera were both health- and disease-associated. RA-CP displayed highly inter-generic networks with a statistically significant increase in periodontal disease-associated genera (p<0.05). In NRA-H, disease parameters and LL-37 were correlated positively with disease-associated genera while negatively with health-associated genera. However, in the remaining groups, mixed positive and negative correlations were noted with genera., Conclusion: RA patients demonstrated subgingival microbial dysbiosis where the bacteria networks were dominated by health- and disease-associated genera. Mixed correlations with disease parameters and LL-37 levels were noted., Clinical Relevance: The subgingival microbial dysbiosis in RA may predispose these patients to developing periodontal inflammation with an associated detrimental effect on host immune responses. Routine periodontal assessment may allow initiation of treatment strategies to minimize the effects of gingival inflammation on the existing heightened immune response present in RA patients., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of interleukin-18 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in gingival crevicular fluid of diabetic children with gingivitis., Methodology: Eighty-eight children (44 with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 44 systemically healthy) were recruited for the study. The children were divided into four subgroups based on their periodontal and systemic condition: (1) systemically and periodontally healthy children (H), (2) systemically healthy children with gingivitis (G), (3) periodontally healthy children with T1DM (T1DM + H), and (4) children with T1DM and gingivitis (T1DM + G). The plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, and GCF volume were recorded. The IL-18 and TNF-α levels in GCF were determined by ELISA., Results: The clinical periodontal parameters, GCF IL-18 level, and TNF-α level were similar between diabetic and systemically healthy children (p > 0.05). The gingivitis subgroups had a significantly higher GI, PI, PPD, GCF volume, and TNF-α total amounts than the H subgroups (p < 0.0001). The IL-18 concentrations in the gingivitis subgroups were significantly lower than in the periodontally healthy subgroups., Conclusions: In diabetic children with good metabolic control, T1DM did not affect the GCF levels of IL-18 and TNF-α in the presence of gingivitis. However, increased GCF TNF-α levels in children with gingivitis confirm that TNF-α is closely related to gingival inflammation., Clinical Relevance: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is not associated with GCF interleukin-18 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in children with gingivitis.

Objectives: There are no studies that have assessed the oral soft tissue response to full-mouth ultrasonic scaling (FMUS) among cigarette-smokers (CS) (group 1), individuals vaping electronic-cigarettes (E-cigs) (group 2), and never-smokers (NS) (group 3). The aim was to assess the impact of cigarette smoking and vaping on periodontal tissues following FMUS., Materials and Methods: In a clinical prospective study, 89 male individuals were divided into three groups: CS (group 1), E-cig users (group 2), and NS (group 3). A questionnaire was used to gather demographic data and information regarding duration and daily frequency of CS and vaping. Full-mouth plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss (AL), and probing depth (PD) were measured at baseline and 3 and 6 months after FMUS (without root surface debridement). Numbers of missing teeth (MT) were also recorded., Results: In groups 1, 2, and 3, 30, 28, and 31 individuals, respectively were included. In group 1, there was no statistically significant difference in mean PI and PD and numbers of sites with PD ≥ 4 mm at 6 months' follow-up compared with baseline and 3 months' follow-up. In groups 2 and 3, there was no significant difference in PI, BOP, and PD at 3 months' (P > 0.05) and 6-months' (P > 0.05) follow-up. There were no pockets with PD ≥ 4 mm at 3 and 6 months' follow-up in groups 2 and 3. There was no difference in the numbers of MT and none of the individuals exhibited clinical AL in all groups., Conclusion: Following FMUS, gingival inflammation is worse in CS compared with individuals vaping E-cigs and NS., Clinical Relevance: Periodontal inflammatory parameters are worse in cigarette-smokers than individuals vaping electronic cigarettes and never-smokers following FMUS. However, these findings should be interpreted with extreme caution as a number of factors may have influenced the present results.

Objective: To assess the significance of changes in the saliva in the etiology of gingivitis and tooth wear in children and adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)., Materials and Methods: The study included 80 (2.8-18 years old; 39 girls and 41 boys): 40 in PWS group (mean age 8.0 ± 4.24 years) and 40 in control group (mean age 7.9 ± 4.12 years). General condition, oral para-functional habits, tooth wear (modified TWI), oral hygiene and gingival status (Plaque Index (PLI) and Gingival Index (GI)), localization of gingivitis, and salivary characteristics were assessed. The chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's rank correlation, and odds ratio based on logistic regression in a statistical analysis were applied., Results: Chances of gingivitis were increased by low PLI (odds ratio (OR) = 32.53), low resting salivary flow (OR = 3.96), increased viscosity of saliva (OR = 3.54), and mouth breathing (OR = 8.17). For gingivitis in anterior regions, low PLI (OR = 107.67), low resting (OR = 5.73) and stimulated (OR = 1.86) salivary flow, increased viscosity of saliva (OR = 5.87), mouth breathing (OR = 10.00), and low stimulated salivary flow (OR = 3.18) were observed. Tooth wear rates were increased by teeth grinding (OR = 16.20), mouth breathing (OR = 4.33), increased viscosity of saliva (OR = 11.67) and low resting (OR = 6.07), and stimulated (OR = 4.22) salivary flow., Conclusions: In PWS, reduced salivary secretion, increased viscosity, of saliva and mouth breathing increase the risk of plaque-induced gingivitis and tooth wear., Clinical Relevance: The prevention and treatment of tooth wear and gingivitis in PWS patients is necessary not only to treat bruxism and mouth breathing but also to limit the influence of negative changes of saliva.

It was previously shown that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) harbored Hemophilus, Actinobacillus, Cardiobacter, Eikenella, and Kingella (HACEK) microbes to a greater extent and had more severe gingival inflammation than a normal group of children. The purpose of this study was to determine if HACEK microbes are more prevalent in children with CHD than in normal children when there is no difference in gingival inflammation. Two groups of 12 children were matched with respect to gingival inflammation. Each child had a gingival index recorded as described by Massler. The experimental group consisted of 12 children with CHD 2.5-10 years old (average 5.5) and the control group consisted of 12 healthy children 2-13 years old (average 5.6). Subgingival samples were obtained and cultured for HACEK microbes. Fischer's exact test was performed with the significance level defined at P<0.05. The average gingival indices for the experimental and control groups were 6.5 and 6.4, respectively (N.S.). Nine of 12 children with CHD had Eikenella corrodens (E.c.) compared to 3/12 control patients ( P<0.05). Three of 12 CHD patients but no control patient had Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) (N.S.). There were no significant differences in E.c. or A.a. presence between cyanotic and acyanotic CHD patients. This study found that the greater extent of specific HACEK microbes harbored by children with CHD is not associated with cyanosis or the degree of gingival inflammation. Further study is needed to delineate fully the medical significance of this observation.