Bacterial synergy of Treponema denticola and Porphyromonas gingivalis in a multinational population

Treponema denticola and Porphyromonas gingivalis have been associated with human adult severe periodontitis. In this study, we quantified these putative pathogens in subgingival plaque samples collected from 74 Fijians, 74 Colombians and 73 U.S. Americans stationed at the Multinational Force and Observers encampment in the Sinai Desert, Egypt. A contingency table of T. denticola and P. gingivalis frequency revealed a highly significant synergistic relationship. We discovered that the occurrence of T. denticola apparently requires the presence of P. gingivalis. This represents the first observation of a synergistic relationship between these putative oral pathogens associated with adult severe periodontal disease.