Screening for periodontopathogenic bacteria in severe chronic periodontitis in a Moroccan population

Objective. - Bacteria play an important role in destructive periodontitis. The aim of this study was to screen for five highly pathogenic bacteria: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas Prevotella intermedia. Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola, in Moroccan patients presenting with severe chronic periodontitis and to compare results with those of patients presenting with severe aggressive periodontitis. Materials and methods. - Twenty-three patients were included at the periodontology unit (School of dental medicine, University Mohammed 5 Souissi, Rabat, Morocco). The study was made on two groups: a test group of patients presenting with severe chronic periodontitis, and a control group of patients presenting with severe aggressive periodontitis. Plaque sampling was performed at the four deepest sites in each patient. The live studied bacteria were detected by PCR. Results. - The prevalence of A. actinomycetemcomitans and T denticola was relatively low in the test group (13.3% and 20% respectively) compared with controls (37.5% and 37.5% respectively), without any statistical difference between the two groups. Furthermore. P gingivalis and T forsythia were frequently detected in both groups, without any statistical difference. Conclusion. - The results of this preliminary study proved the presence of the studied periodontopathogenic bacteria both in severe chronic periodontitis and severe aggressive periodontitis. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.