Objective: Large general
population-based data on carriage rates of periodontal pathogens hardly exist
in the current literature. The aim of the present study was to examine the
salivary carriage of Aggregatibacter (formerly Actinobacillus)
actinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter rectus, Porphyromonas
gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythensis,
and Treponema denticola, in a representative sample of the adult
population living in Southern Finland. Methods: 16S rRNA-based PCR
methods with species-specific primers were employed to determine the presence
of the six target bacteria in stimulated saliva samples from 1293 subjects,
aged 30 years or more. The age cohort, gender, level of education, marital
status, number of teeth, and number of teeth with periodontal pockets (4 mm or
more) were included in statistical analysis (logistic regression model; Wald
F-test) on 1193 dentate subjects. Results: At least one of the examined
pathogens was found in the vast majority of the subjects. In descending order,
the total detection rates were 56.6%, 37.7%, 35.5%, 31.3%, 19.6%, and 13.6% for
T. forsythensis, T. denticola, P. gingivalis, C. rectus,
A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. intermedia, respectively. Age
per se was strongly associated with the carriage of P. gingivalis
(p<0.0001), and the level of education with that of T. denticola
(p<0.0001). There was an association between the number of teeth with
pockets and carriage of P. gingivalis (p<0.0001), P. intermedia (p<0.0001),
T. denticola (p<0.0001), and A. actinomycetemcomitans
(p<0.05). Conclusions: The carriage of periodontal pathogen(s) is
common in this general adult-aged population. Distinct species have a different
carriage profile, depending on variables, such as age, educational level, and
periodontal status.