Evaluation of Periodontiopathic Bacteria in Saliva of Obese Diabetic Patients

Objectives: To quantify the presence of periodontopathogenic bacteria in the saliva of obese diabetic patients and compare it with non-diabetic obese subjects.

Methods: A total of 78 saliva samples were collected from consented patients attending to the University Dental Hospital, Sharjah, UAE. The patients were divided into three equal groups: obese, obese diabetics and non-obese group. The levels of bacterial species associated with periodontitis (Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans) and gingivitis (Fusobacterium spp.) were measured using real-time PCR.

Results: Quantification of oral bacteria using real-time PCR revealed significantly higher quantities of Fusobacterium spp. (associated with gingivitis), P. gingivalis, and T. forsythia (associated with periodontitis) in the obese patients compared to the non-obese group. Regarding the prevalence of the bacteria in the saliva samples, Fusobacterium spp. was the most prevalent bacterial type in this study (n = 78, 100%), followed by P. gingivalis and T. forsythia (n = 76, 97.4% each). T. denticola was detected in 69 samples (88.5%), whereas A. actinomycetem- comitans was detected in 24 samples (30.8%) only. The quantities of Fusobacterium spp., P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, and A. actinomycetemcomitans were significantly correlated with BMI. There was no significant difference between obese and non-obese groups with respect to the total number of bacteria and periodontal health condition

Conclusions: Due to the high oral microbial contents, obese people are probably at risk for developing destructive chronic periodontal diseases, unless good oral health interventions are adopted.