A population-based study of the salivary prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in Saudi Arabian adults with chronic periodontitis

Aims

This study was designed to investigate the incidence of subgingival Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans infections and their relationship with genetic variability in Saudi Arabian adults with chronic periodontitis and to evaluate the correlation between infection frequency and other variables.

Methods

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed to detect P. gingivalis 16 ​S rDNA, fimbria (fimA), and collagenase (prtC) genes, as well as the A. actinomycetemcomitans 16 ​S rDNA, leukotoxin (lktA), and fimbria-associated protein (fap) genes in saliva samples from 50 patients with periodontitis and 51 healthy subjects.

Results

The incidence of both P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans infections was higher (72% and 14%) in the “Periodontal disease” group than in the healthy subjects (P ​< ​0.001). The P. gingivalis 16 ​S rDNA, fimA, and prtC genes were detected in 43.56%, 61.36%, and 84.09% of saliva samples, respectively, while A. actinomycetemcomitans 16 ​S rDNA, lktA, and fap genes were detected in 6.93%, 71.43%, and 0%, respectively. P. gingivalis strains with the fimA+/prtC ​+ ​genotype were found in 61.11% and 25% of chronic periodontitis patients and healthy subjects, respectively. By comparison, A. actinomycetemcomitans strains with the lktA+ ​genotype were found in 71.43% of chronic periodontitis patients.

Conclusion

Infection with fimA+ and prtC+ ​P. gingivalis or lktA+ ​A. actinomycetemcomitans was correlated with periodontal disease occurrence in Saudi adults. Nevertheless, A. actinomycetemcomitans lktA and P. gingivalis fimA and prtC are closely linked to periodontal destruction, whereas A. actinomycetemcomitans fap is not.