Intra-familial distribution of nine putative periodontopathogens in dental plaque samples analyzed by PCR

It is of great importance to understand the distribution of periodontopathogens within family members when considering the risk of periodontitis in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of periodontopathogens among family members. We used the polymerase chain reaction method to test 4,8, and 7 probands with healthy gingiva, gingivitis, and periodontitis, respectively, and their 60 immediate family members. Plaque samples were collected from all erupted teeth sites using a sterile toothbrush. In 161 of the 165 positive cases, if a child harbored one of the periodontopathogens then at least one of the parents was also positive for the same bacterium. The prevalence of parent-child co-infection was 42.9% for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, 21.4% for Porphyromonas gingivalis, 29.2% for Treponema denticola, 59.5% for Tannerella forsythensis (Bacteroides forsythus) and 16.7% for Prevotella intermedia. Our results indicate that parents could be an important source of periodontopathogens for the colonization that occurs in their children.