Detection of six periodontopathogens in the subgingival plaque of patients with chronic periodontitis in Lagos, Nigeria

Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the occurrence of six periodontal pathogens in the subgingival plaque of patients with chronic periodontitis in Nigeria. Methods: Forty-two subjects with chronic periodontitis participated in the cross-sectional study between June, 2015 and August, 2016. Subgingival plaque samples from one site of ≤3mm depth (gingivitis) and another site with the greatest depth of ≥4mm (periodontitis) respectively were collected from each subject. Culture and PCR assay using 16S rRNA species-specific primers, were performed. Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Majority (73.8%) of the subjects were positive for at least one of the organisms. Culture was positive for P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum and P. intermedia in 23.8%, 14.3% and 14.3% of the subjects respectively in sites of ≤3mm and at 33.3%, 23.8% and 33.3% respectively in sites of ≥4mm. PCR was able to detect all six periodontopathogens in sites of ≥4mm, with A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis F. nucleatum P. intermedia, T. forsythia and T. denticola in 4.8%, 31.0%, 40.4%, 45.2%, 4.8% and 2.4% of the subjects respectively. The pathogen with the most frequent total occurrence in all sites was P. intermedia (54.8%). The difference between the occurrence of the organisms in the sites of periodontal probing depth of ≤3mm and ≥4mm was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study shows the distribution of subgingival periodontal pathogens in chronic periodontitis in a Nigerian population. Wider studies among the Nigerian population are required to assess differences in the pattern of distribution of these bacteria