Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori vacA Genotypes and cagA Gene in Dental Plaque of Asymptomatic Mexican Children

The variability inHelicobacter pylori vacAandcagAgenes has been related to the progression of the gastrointestinal disease; also the presence ofH. pyloriin the oral cavity has been associated with periodontal disease in adults, but, in children without dyspeptic symptoms, little is known about this. We evaluated the prevalence ofH. pyloriand the presence ofvacA/cagAgenotypes in the oral cavity of Mexican children without dyspeptic symptoms. The gingival status was measured, and dental plaque samples (n=100) were taken. 38% of children were positive forH. pylori16S rRNA gene by qPCR. A significant association betweenH. pylorioral infection and gingival status was observed (P<0.001). In 34.6% (9/26) of mild gingivitis cases,s1m2genotype was found, whiles1m1was typed in 50% (3/6) of moderate gingivitis. ThecagAprevalence amongH. pylori-positive children was 80.8% (21/26), 83.3% (5/6), and 16.7% (1/6) of cases of mild gingivitis, moderate gingivitis, and nongingivitis, respectively (P<0.001). Thes1m1/cagA+ combinational genotype was the most detected in children with gingivitis. Our results suggest that the prevalence ofH. pyloriand detection ofvacA/cagAgenotypes-associated gastrointestinal disease in the oral cavity could be related to the progression of gingivitis in asymptomatic children.