IADR Abstract Archives
Dentures: a pathogenic reservoir for respiratory pathogens
Objectives: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death attributable to infection in patients aged 65 years and older, costing the NHS in excess of £440 million annually. Denture wearers may be at increased risk of aspirating opportunistic pathogens from the denture into their lungs. Dentures provide an ideal environment for biofilm formation, and microorganisms from this biofilm may disperse and be inhaled into the respiratory tract, potentially causing pneumonia in susceptible individuals. Few studies have inspected the denture surface for the presence of respiratory pathogens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a specific and sensitive quantitiative PCR assay to analyse denture plaque for the presence of known respiratory pathogens.
Methods: 130 patients attending a prosthodontic clinic at Glasgow Dental Hospital were examined for the presence of denture stomatitis and the severity recorded using Newton’s Classification. The removable dentures of these patients were sonicated in phosphate buffered saline to remove denture plaque biofilm. The total DNA was extracted from the sonicate and specific primer pairs representing 9 known respiratory pathogens were used to perform qPCR.
Results: 64.6% of dentures were found to carry respiratory pathogens. Six species were identified: S. aureus, S. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, H. influenza B, S. pyogenes and M. catarrhalis. 20% of dentures were colonised by two or more pathogens. S. aureus was identified from 67 dentures, which when re-tested using primers specific for the mecA gene demonstrated that 3% were MRSA. P. aeruginosa was the most abundant species with a mean count of 4.3 x 106 CFE’s. None of the samples were shown to be positive for L. pneumophila, C. pneumoniae or K. pneumoniae.
Conclusions: Dentures are a reservoir for respiratory pathogens. These pathogens have the potential to be aspirated into the respiratory tract and cause infection.
Methods: 130 patients attending a prosthodontic clinic at Glasgow Dental Hospital were examined for the presence of denture stomatitis and the severity recorded using Newton’s Classification. The removable dentures of these patients were sonicated in phosphate buffered saline to remove denture plaque biofilm. The total DNA was extracted from the sonicate and specific primer pairs representing 9 known respiratory pathogens were used to perform qPCR.
Results: 64.6% of dentures were found to carry respiratory pathogens. Six species were identified: S. aureus, S. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, H. influenza B, S. pyogenes and M. catarrhalis. 20% of dentures were colonised by two or more pathogens. S. aureus was identified from 67 dentures, which when re-tested using primers specific for the mecA gene demonstrated that 3% were MRSA. P. aeruginosa was the most abundant species with a mean count of 4.3 x 106 CFE’s. None of the samples were shown to be positive for L. pneumophila, C. pneumoniae or K. pneumoniae.
Conclusions: Dentures are a reservoir for respiratory pathogens. These pathogens have the potential to be aspirated into the respiratory tract and cause infection.