Relative quantification of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans high-risk bacterial species in Romanian patients evaluated for periodontal disease

Three bacterial species pertaining to the red complex (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia) and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans were investigated in relation to the incidence and severity of periodontal disease. A total of 259 patients were included in this study, 179 being diagnosed with periodontal disease. The gingival crevicular fluid samples were obtained from periodontal pockets and the presence and levels of target bacteria were assessed following DNA extraction and real-time quantitative PCR. Our results account significant positive associations between the number of bacterial species from the red complex coexisting within a patient and several clinical signs (gingival bleeding, inflammation and bone deterioration), the Case Types of the periodontal disease and probing depth. In conclusion, this study on the subject of critical periodontal pathogens quantification it is a first revealing a glimpse of the bacterial dynamics and its effects on periodontal disease severity in the Romanian population.