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Published on: May 21, 2015
Subgingival periodontal pathogens in Down syndrome children without periodontal breakdown. A case-control study on
C Vocale1, M Montevecchi2, G D'Alessandro2
1Unit of Microbiology, Regional Reference Centre for Microbiological Emergencies (CRREM), St. Orsola Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
Aim:
Down syndrome is the most common form of aneuploidia compatible with a long survival. The affected subjects are more susceptible to severe early-onset periodontal disease and show a lower risk to develop dental caries than the non-affected population. This study investigated the prevalence of periodontal pathogens in the subgingival plaque of deciduous teeth in children with Down syndrome without signs of periodontal breakdown.
Methods:
Thirty children suffering from Down syndrome and 46 matched healthy subjects were studied. A total of 228 subgingival plaque samples from deciduous teeth were separately collected and evaluated by polymerase chain reaction assays.
Conclusion:
In absence of periodontal impairment, Down syndrome children display a clear presence of periodontal pathogens already in the deciduous dentition. The hypothesis of an intrinsic predisposing condition is here supported.
