Entamoeba gingivalis - prevalence and correlation with dental caries in children from rural and urban regions of Lublin Province, Eastern Poland

Introduction. Entamoeba gingivalis, as the name implies. typically lives around the gumline of the teeth in the tartar and gingival pockets of the oral cavity. Pathogenicity of protozoa in the oral cavity is not completely understood. The occurrence in patients with a good state of the immune system usually does not cause any pathological changes. In the presentede survey, an increased incidence of Entamoeba gingivalis in conjunction with pathological changes in the oral cavity was found. Objectives. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of Entamoeba gingivalis in children treated in Department of Paediatric Dentistry of the Medical University in Lublin and its correlation with dental caries. Materials and method. Diagnostic materials in the form of swabs were obtained from 154 children in the age 2-18 years old, treated in the Department of Paediatric Dentistry of the Medical University in Lublin. The main index for epidemiological surveys in oral health - DMFT (decayed, missed, and filled teeth) for permanent teeth and DMFT for deciduous teeth was calculated. Results. The average number of Entamoeba gingivalis in urban children was 12.84. The DMFT number in the deciduous teeth was lower in urban patients (5.0) than from rural patients (5.4). The DMFT number in the permanent teeth was lower in urban patients (3.155) than rural patients (3.98). There was no statistically significant correlation between the DMFT value and the number of Entamoeba gingivalis. Conclusions. 1) Entamoeba gingivalis occurs in the oral cavity of children. 2) In the presented survey, both DMFT and dmft indexes were high which proves high activity of dental carious. 3) There was no significant statistical correlation observed between dental caries and the presence of Entamoeba gingivalis.