Comparative prevalence of oral bacteria and protozoa in patients with periodontitis in Taiwan

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by bacteria present in the dental biofilm. However, the presence of two oral protozoans, Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax, in patients with the periodontal disease remains largely unknown in Taiwan. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of oral microbial infections between the sites with mild gingivitis and chronic periodontitis in patients.

We collected 60 dental biofilm samples from sites with mild gingivitis (probing depth <5 mm) and chronic periodontitis (probing depth ≥5 mm) from 30 patients at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital. The samples were analyzed via polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis.

Among oral protozoans, E. gingivalis and T. tenax were detected in 44 (74.07%) and 14 (23.33%) of all samples, respectively. Among oral bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia were detected in 50 (83.33%), 47 (78.33%), and 48 (80.0%) samples, respectively.

This study, which is the first to analyze E. gingivalis and T. tenax presence among patients with periodontitis in Taiwan, revealed an association between periodontitis and oral microbes.