Occurrence of red complex microorganisms and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in patients with diabetes

AbstractAim: The aim of the present study was to analyze the occurrence of Porphyro-monas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), Tannerella forsythia (T. forsythia), Treponemadenticola (T. denticola), and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actino-mycetemcomitans) in patients with diabetes.Methods: Periodontal and diabetic parameters and subgingival biofilm sampleswere obtained from 60 patients with diabetes and 62 patients without diabetes. Byusing polymerase chain reaction, the prevalence of red complex microorganisms(P .gingivalis, Tforsythia, and denticola) and A actinomycetemcomitans weredetermined. Descriptive and non-parametric statistical analyses between groupswere performed (Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Fisher’s exact test).Results: Patients with diabetes presented significantly higher periodontal attach-ment loss levels compared to patients without diabetes. Red complex microor-ganisms were detected in lower frequencies in patients with diabetes. Thedetection of A. actinomycetemcomitans was higher in patients with diabetes andperiodontitis compared to systemically-healthy patients without periodontitis(P < 0.05). P. gingivalis was associated with periodontitis in non-diabeticpatients (P < 0.05), whereas A. actinomycetemcomitans was associated withperiodontitis in diabetic patients (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that there might bedifferences in the subgingival microbiota between diabetic and non-diabeticpatients. In addition, P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans were associ-ated with periodontitis in patients without diabetes and patients with diabetes,respectively.IntroductionDiabetes is a chronic condition in which the levels ofglucose are elevated in the blood due to absolute insulindeficiency (type I diabetes) or a progressive insulin secre-tory defect on the background of insulin resistance (typeII diabetes).