Abstract

ARDILA MEDINA, Carlos Martín; ALZATE VEGA, Juliana  and  GUZMAN ZULUAGA, Isabel Cristina. Association of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and red complex microorganisms with clinical parameters of patients with chronic periodontitis. AMC [online]. 2010, vol.14, n.3. ISSN 1025-0255.

Background: the association between Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and red complex microorganisms with clinical parameters of patients with chronic periodontitis has been studied very little in Latin America. Objective:  to identify the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tanerella forsythia in patients with chronic periodontitis, and establish their association with clinical parameters and smoking. Method: we examined clinical parameters (probing depth, attachment level, bleeding on probing, suppuration and plaque index) and the presence of periodontal pathogens in 76 patients with chronic periodontitis in Medellín, Colombia. Subgingival samples were processed by culture. Chi square and Mann-Whitney test were used to determine differences in clinical variables and smoking in the presence or absence of periodontal pathogens (P<0.05). Results: We found A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis and T. forsythia in 23.7%, 64.4% and 40.8% of patients respectively. Patients whit A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis showed worse clinical parameters, differences were highly significant (P<0.0001). T. forsythia was associated with significantly higher probing depth (P= 0.02), presence of bleeding (P<0.0001) and plaque (P<0.0001). There was a highly significant association between smoking and presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis (P<0.0001). Conclusions: P. gingivalis, T. forsythia and A. actinomycetemcomitans were associated with adverse periodontal conditions. It is important to conduct microbiological tests on populations with periodontitis because the particular composition of subgingival plaque determines an appropriate periodontal treatment.

Keywords : CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS; MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS; HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS; PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS; SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS; CULTURE MEDIA.