Periodontal Microbiota in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Measured by Real‐Time Polymerase Chain Reaction: A Case‐Control Study

Background: Recent data have shown that periodontal disease may increase the risk of occurrence of coronary heart disease in which inflammation initiated by bacteria and their compounds might be a common causal factor. This case-control study aimed at studying the relationship between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease (CAD) based on clinical and periodontal microbiologic parameters.Methods: A total of 90 male subjects, 48 to 80 years of age, were included in this study. Forty-five men had CAD (CAD+), which was confirmed by coronary angiography. Forty-five age-matched controls showed no history or symptoms of CAD (CAD−). All subjects underwent a clinical periodontal examination including assessment of tooth loss, probing depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing. In the CAD+ group, this examination took place 1 day before coronary angiography. Subgingival microbial samples were taken and evaluated by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the total amount of...