Periodontal Pathogens and Periodontal Status in a Group of Thais

Objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia, and their association with periodontal disease status in a group of workers from Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. Methods: The study was conducted in 453 subjects, aged 39 – 59 years old. Pooled subgingival plaque samples were obtained from all teeth and the three target bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction analysis. Subjects were classified into a periodontitis group if they had three or more sites with probing depth = or > 5 mm. The logistic regression analysis was used to determine the degree of association between the three putative periodontal pathogens and periodontal status. Results: This study revealed that Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia were found 19.0%, 70.9% and 77.5%, respectively. The percentage of subjects classified as healthy was 63.8% and periodontitis was 36.2%. The prevalence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were significantly higher in periodontitis group than in healthy group, however, there was no difference of Tannerella forsythia between periodontitis and healthy groups. In logistic regression analysis, the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis in subgingival plaque represented significant risks of having periodontitis at odds ratio= 2.6 and 3.7 respectively. No significant association was observed between the presence of Tannerella forsythia and periodontal disease status. Conclusion: The three putative periodontal pathogens were found in this studied population. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were significantly associated with periodontal disease but no association existed between Tannerella forsythia and periodontal disease status. Longitudinal studies will establish whether these organisms are true risk factors.This research was supported by The Thailand Research Fund, Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University.