Periodontal pathogens in periodontal pockets and in carotid atheromatous plaques

In the last years the relationship between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases has been a subject of increasing research. The identification of periodontopathic bacteria in atheromas can contribute to our knowledge of such an association. The aim of our study was to assess the concomitant presence of 5 periodontal pathogens (Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia) in periodontal pockets and in carotid atheromas recovered from the same individuals.

Twenty-one patients with chronic periodontitis scheduled for endarterectomy for carotid stenosis were enrolled in the study. Subgingival plaque samples and carotid atheromas were examined using the polymerase chain reaction and reverse hybridization techniques by means of specific probes for periodontal bacteria. Human beta-globin amplification was used as internal polymerase chain reaction efficiency control.

Three patients were excluded because the endarterectomy specimens were negative to DNA amplification. All subgingival plaque samples were positive for at least one target micro-organism. The prevalence of Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Treponema denticola, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was 72.22%, 61.11%, 55.56%, 50%, and 33.33%, respectively. No periodontal bacteria DNA was detected in any endarterectomy specimen.

The presence of periodontal bacteria in atheromatous plaques was not confirmed by this investigation and, thus, no correlation between periodontitis bacteria and micro-organisms involved in the atherosclerotic lesions could be drawn.