A cross-sectional study on the periodontal status and prevalence of red complex periodontal pathogens in a Japanese population

Abstract

This large-scale study cross-sectionally examined the periodontal status and prevalence of "red complex" bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia) in Japanese adults. A total of 977 participants were enrolled in the study. Probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and bone crest level (BCL) were recorded, and the presence of red complex bacteria in the saliva was examined using polymerase chain reaction. The mean BCL value and the percentage of sites with a PD ≥4 mm or the presence of BOP were significantly higher in older participants. The detection rates of P. gingivalis, T. denticola, and T. forsythia were 46.3%, 76.4%, and 61.1%, respectively. The P. gingivalis detection rate significantly increased with age, while those of T. denticola and T. forsythia were comparably high for all age groups. A close correlation between P. gingivalis and the percentage of sites with PD ≥4 mm was indicated by nonlinear canonical correlation analysis. Current smokers exhibited a more advanced disease condition and a significantly higher P. gingivalis detection rate than non-smokers. In conclusion, periodontal condition worsens with age, and P. gingivalis appears to be the red complex bacterium most closely associated with periodontitis.

Detection of oral bacteria on the tongue dorsum using PCR amplification of 16S ribosomal RNA and its association with systemic disease in middle-aged and elderly patients

“…In the present study, P. gingivalis infection was more common among elderly (≥65 years old) subjects. Previously, the P. gingivalis detection rate was observed to significantly increase with age, while that of T. denticola and T. forsythia was comparably high across all age groups (25). In the current study, participants with ≥4-mm pockets exhibited higher positive rates of the red complex bacteria P. gingivalis and T. denticola compared with those with <4-mm pockets.…”

Analysis of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimA genotypes in severe periodontitis patients

“…Nevertheless, the presence of P. gingivalis has been positively correlated with greater probing depth and periodontitis severity. 17,32,33 Likewise, in our study, Group C was associated with greater mean probing depth and the proportion of sampled sites with PD and CAL ≥8 mm was greater in P. gingivalis-positive than P. gingivalis-negative patients.…”

The salivary microbiota in health and disease

“…Accordingly, a number of cross-sectional PCR-based studies have compared salivary levels of putative periopathogens, especially Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia and Aggregatibacter actinomycemtomitans in saliva from patients with periodontitis to those of orally healthy controls. A recent study from 2019 reported salivary levels of the JP2 clone of A. actinomycemtomitans to associate with clinical attachment loss in Moroccan adolescents [34], whereas a large-scale study comprising 977 Japanese individuals showed salivary levels of P. gingivalis to correlate with percentage of sites with probing pocket depth ≥4 mm [35]. In addition, a cross-sectional study of a Finnish population (n = 462) documented that combined salivary levels of P. gingivalis, P. intermedia and T. forsythia were associated with periodontitis [36].…”