Incorporating Oral Hygiene maintenance therapy in treatment plan of patients suffering from Gastric H. pylori infection

Objectives: Dental plaque biofilm has been implicated as an extragastric reservoir of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The present study was conducted to explore the association between simultaneous presence of the bacterium in dental plaque samples and gastric biopsy specimens of patients suffering from symptomatic dyspepsia, and if an association is found then advocate the importance of oral health maintenance in the treatment plan of these patients along with conventional bacterial eradication therapy
Methods: The study was conducted at the Department of Oral Health Sciences, Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex, Lahore, Pakistan. One hundred and fifty patients were enrolled. Oral health status and dental plaque load were measured through James oral health index and modified plaque index of Silness and Loe. Gastric H. pylori status was determined through histopathology and rapid urease test. H. pylori was isolated from dental plaque through PCR assay.
Results: Frequency of H. pylori in dental plaque is found to be 37.5% and the bacterial presence in plaque is significantly associated (p=0.02) with gastric H. pylori infection with odds ratio of 2.3.
Conclusions: Pakistani dyspeptic patients harbor the bacterium in their oral biofilm which might increases the probability of acquiring gastric infection. It is important to add oral heallth maintainence therapy in treatment plan of patients suffering from recurrent gastric H. pylori infection.