Periodontal pathogens are the main pathogenic factor of periodontitis. Periodontal pathogens have a large variety of virulence factors such as lipopolysaccharide, fimbriae and proteases, which enables the pathogens to infect periodontal tissues and stimulate the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, causing chronic systemic inflammation. Periodontal pathogens may invade multiple systems such as the circulatory system, immune system, respiratory system and digestive system to cause systematic diseases. Recent studies have shown that periodontal pathogens may have close relations with systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Among the periodontal pathogens, can be found in atherosclerotic plaques to impairing the function of the vascular endothelium; may also increase the level of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α to promote insulin resistance and diabetes. Many of the periodontal pathogens such as , and can be detected in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients, suggesting their involvement in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. may cause alterations in the intestinal microbiome in mice and promote the occurrence of intestinal tumors. Herein we review the recent progresses in the relationship between periodontal pathogens and systemic diseases.
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; Animals ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Periodontitis ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia

BACKGROUND: Smoking exerts an adverse effect on the periodontal tissue by reorganizing the ecosystem of oral microorganisms and is considered to be an important factor in the development of periodontal disease. Although cross-sectional studies on smokers and non-smokers have been attempted to investigate the microbial differences in periodontal oral cavity, only few studies have been conducted to investigate the changes in oral microorganisms during smoking cessation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of bacteria in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) over a period of one year among 11 smokers trying to quit smoking.METHODS: Eleven smokers trying to quit smoking visited the clinic at baseline, two weeks, two months, four months, six months, and 12 months to give saliva and GCF samples. The amounts of 16S rRNA, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. nucleatum, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus in saliva and GCF were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction TaqMan probe assay. The results were analyzed by nonparametric statistical analysis using Friedman test and Spearman correlation coefficient.RESULTS: After cessation of smoking, the amounts of 16S rRNA corresponding to P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, and T. denticola in saliva decreased and then again increased significantly. The amount of F. nucleatum 16S rRNA in GCF decreased significantly after smoking cessation. Positive correlations were observed between 16S rRNA and F. nucleatum and between F. nucleatum and T. denticola in saliva and GCF.CONCLUSION: Even if the number of subjects in this study was small, we suggest that smoking cessation may reduce the total bacterial amount and F. nucleatum in GCF. However, the results regarding changes in the microbial ecosystem due to smoking or smoking cessation were inconsistent. Therefore, further in-depth studies need to be carried out.
Bacteria ; Bacterial Load ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ecosystem ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Gingival Crevicular Fluid ; Mouth ; Periodontal Diseases ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Saliva ; Smoke ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking ; Streptococcus mutans ; Streptococcus sobrinus ; Treponema denticola

PURPOSE: Few studies have examined periodontal pathogens from saliva samples in periodontally healthy young adults. The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of periodontopathic bacteria and to quantify periodontal pathogens in saliva samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in periodontally healthy Korean young adults under 35 years of age. METHODS: Nine major periodontal pathogens were analyzed by real-time PCR in saliva from 94 periodontally healthy young adults. Quantification of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, and Eikenella corrodens was performed by DNA copy number measurement. RESULTS: F. nucleatum and E. corrodens were detected in all subjects; the numbers of positive samples were 87 (92.6%), 91 (96.8%), and 90 (95.7%) for P. gingivalis, P. anaerobius, and C. rectus, respectively. Other pathogens were also detected in periodontally healthy subjects. Analysis of DNA copy numbers revealed that the most abundant periodontal pathogen was F. nucleatum, which was significantly more prevalent than all other bacteria (P < 0.001), followed by P. anaerobius, P. gingivalis, E. corrodens, C. rectus, and T. denticola. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of each bacterium between men and women. The DNA copy number of total bacteria was significantly higher in men than in women. CONCLUSIONS: Major periodontal pathogens were prevalent in the saliva of periodontally healthy Korean young adults. Therefore, we suggest that the development of periodontal disease should not be overlooked in periodontally healthy young people, as it can arise due to periodontal pathogen imbalance and host susceptibility.
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Load ; Campylobacter rectus ; Chronic Periodontitis ; DNA ; Eikenella corrodens ; Female ; Forsythia ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Male ; Peptostreptococcus ; Periodontal Diseases ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevalence ; Prevotella intermedia ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Saliva ; Treponema denticola ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: Dental plaque emits red fluorescence under a visible blue light near the ultra-violet end of the light spectrum. The fluorescence characteristics of each microorganism have been reported in several studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in red fluorescence of oral microorganisms that is affected by blood in the culture media. METHODS: The gram-positive Actinomyces naeslundii (AN, KCTC 5525) and Lactobacillus casei (LC, KCTC 3109) and gram negative Prevotella intermedia (PI, KCTC 3692) that are known to emit red fluorescence were used in this study. Each bacterium was activated in broth and cultivated in different agar media at 37℃ for 7 days. Tryptic soy agar with hemin and vitamin K3 (TSA), TSA with sheep blood (TSAB), basal medium mucin (BMM) medium, and BMM with sheep blood (BMMB) were used in this study. Fluorescence due to bacterial growth was observed under 405-nm wavelength blue light using the quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D) device. The red, green, and blue fluorescence values of colonies were obtained using image-analysis software and the red to green ratio (R/G value) and red to total RGB ratio (R/RGB value) were calculated for quantitative comparison. RESULTS: The QLF-D images of the AN, LC, and PI colonies showed red fluorescence in all media, but the fluorescence of all bacteria was reduced in TSA and BMM media, compared with in TSAB and BMMB media. Both the R/G and the R/RGB values of all bacteria were significantly reduced in growth media without blood (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on this in vitro study, it can be concluded that red fluorescence of oral bacteria can be affected by growth components, especially blood. Blood-containing medium could be a significant factor influencing red fluorescence of oral bacteria. It can be further hypothesized that bleeding in the oral cavity can increase the red fluorescence of dental plaque.
Actinomyces ; Agar ; Bacteria* ; Culture Media ; Dental Plaque ; Fluorescence* ; Hemin ; Hemorrhage ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lactobacillus casei ; Mouth ; Mucins ; Prevotella intermedia ; Sheep ; Vitamin K 3

Prevotella intermedia-specific quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) primers were previously designed based on the nucleotide sequences of RNA polymerase beta-subunit gene (rpoB). However, the several clinical strains isolated from Korean populations are not detectable by the qPCR primers. The purpose of this study was to develop new P. intermedia-specific qPCR primers based on the rpoB. The specificity of the primers was determined by conventional PCR with 12 strains of P. intermedia and 52 strains (52 species) of non-P. intermedia bacteria. The sensitivity of primers was determined by qPCR with serial dilutions of the purified genomic DNAs (40 ng to 4 fg) of P. intermedia ATCC 25611T. The data indicated that only P. intermedia strains were detected by the P intermedia-specific qPCR primers (RTPiF2/RTPiR2); in addition, as little as 40 fg of P. intermedia genomic DNA could be detected. These results suggest that these qPCR primers are useful in detecting P. intermedia from the bacterial infectious lesions including dental plaque and oral tissue lesions.
Bacteria ; Base Sequence ; Dental Plaque ; DNA ; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevotella intermedia* ; Prevotella* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: Elderly people are thought to be more susceptible to periodontal disease due to reduced immune function associated with aging. However, little information is available on the nature of immune responses against putative periodontal pathogens in geriatric patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum IgG antibody responses to six periodontal pathogens in geriatric subjects. METHODS: The study population consisted of 85 geriatric patients and was divided into three groups: 29 mild (MCP), 27 moderate (MoCP) and 29 severe (SCP) chronic periodontitis patients. Serum levels of IgG antibody to Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella intermedia were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared among the groups. RESULTS: All three groups showed levels of serum IgG in response to P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. intermedia that were three to four times higher than levels of IgG to T. forsythia, T. denticola, and F. nucleatum. There were no significant differences among all three groups in IgG response to P. gingivalis (P=0.065), T. forsythia (P=0.057), T. denticola (P=0.1), and P. intermedia (P=0.167), although the IgG levels tended to be higher in patients with SCP than in those with MCP or MoCP (with the exception of those for P. intermedia). In contrast, there were significant differences among the groups in IgG levels in response to F. nucleatum (P=0.001) and A. actinomycetemcomitans (P=0.003). IgG levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans were higher in patients with MCP than in those with MoCP or SCP. CONCLUSIONS: When IgG levels were compared among three periodontal disease groups, only IgG levels to F. nucleatum significantly increased with the severity of disease. On the contrary, IgG levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans decreased significantly in patients with SCP compared to those with MCP. There were no significant differences in the IgG levels for P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, T. denticola, and P. intermedia among geriatric patients with chronic periodontitis.
Aged* ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; Aging ; Antibody Formation ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Disease Progression ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Forsythia ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Geriatrics ; Humans ; Immunity, Humoral* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Periodontal Diseases ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia ; Treponema denticola

Sub-gingival anaerobic pathogens can colonize an implant surface to compromise osseointegration of dental implants once the soft tissue seal around the neck of an implant is broken. In vitro evaluations of implant materials are usually done in monoculture studies involving either tissue integration or bacterial colonization. Co-culture models, in which tissue cells and bacteria battle simultaneously for estate on an implant surface, have been demonstrated to provide a better in vitro mimic of the clinical situation. Here we aim to compare the surface coverage by U2OS osteoblasts cells prior to and after challenge by two anaerobic sub-gingival pathogens in a co-culture model on differently modified titanium (Ti), titanium-zirconium (TiZr) alloys and zirconia surfaces. Monoculture studies with either U2OS osteoblasts or bacteria were also carried out and indicated significant differences in biofilm formation between the implant materials, but interactions with U2OS osteoblasts were favourable on all materials. Adhering U2OS osteoblasts cells, however, were significantly more displaced from differently modified Ti surfaces by challenging sub-gingival pathogens than from TiZr alloys and zirconia variants. Combined with previous work employing a co-culture model consisting of human gingival fibroblasts and supra-gingival oral bacteria, results point to a different material selection to stimulate the formation of a soft tissue seal as compared to preservation of osseointegration under the unsterile conditions of the oral cavity.
Acid Etching, Dental ; methods ; Alloys ; chemistry ; Bacterial Adhesion ; physiology ; Bacteriological Techniques ; Biofilms ; Cell Adhesion ; physiology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; physiology ; Ceramics ; chemistry ; Coculture Techniques ; Dental Alloys ; chemistry ; Dental Etching ; methods ; Dental Implants ; microbiology ; Dental Materials ; chemistry ; Dental Polishing ; methods ; Humans ; Osseointegration ; physiology ; Osteoblasts ; physiology ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; physiology ; Prevotella intermedia ; physiology ; Surface Properties ; Titanium ; chemistry ; Yttrium ; chemistry ; Zirconium ; chemistry

The goal of this research was to determine the relationship between the stage of chronic periodontitis and the presence of six bacterial pathogens (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: AA, Fusobacterium nucleatum: FN, Porphyromonas gingivalis: PG, Prevotella intermedia: PI, Enterococcus faecalis: EF, and Parvimonas micra: PM). Forty-six chronic periodontitis patients visiting a dental hospital were included in this investigation. They were classified into four chronic periodontitis stages based on the sulcus bleeding index value and the probing depth. The tissue samples from the periodontal surgery were used for a direct PCR detection assay. A total of 49 samples from 46 patients were collected and classified into four chronic periodontitis groups (N: 6, P1: 13, P2: 18, P3: 12). The PCR assay showed that FN, PI, and PM were involved from the beginning of chronic periodontitis (P1), while AA and PG existed regardless of the disease stages. EF was strongly linked to the P3 stage of the disease. In order to assess the effect of dental treatments on patients with chronic periodontitis, EF should be a critical marker for P3 patients, while FN, PI, and PM would be good indicators for chronic periodontitis.
Chronic Periodontitis* ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia

The purpose of the study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract of Coptidis rhizome against the type strains of cariogenic bacteria, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, and the periodontopathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Treponema denticola and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. The antimicrobial activities of the crude extract and the methanol extract fractions of Coptidis rhizome separated by silica gel chromatography were evaluated by determining the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values, using the microdilution method. The cell viability test of the extracts of Coptidis rhizome on the KB cells was also studied by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Our results showed that the 11th fraction (F11) of the methanol extract had the greatest antimicrobial activity against the tested bacteria, with no associated cytotoxicity on the KB cells, upto a concentration of 50 microg/ml. These results suggest that the silica gel chromatography fraction F11 of the methanol extract of Coptidis rhizome, could be useful in the development of oral hygiene products as an antimicrobial agent for the prevention of dental caries and periodontal diseases.
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; Bacteria ; Cell Survival ; Chromatography ; Dental Caries ; Humans ; KB Cells ; Methanol ; Oral Hygiene ; Periodontal Diseases ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia ; Rhizome* ; Silica Gel ; Streptococcus mutans ; Streptococcus sobrinus ; Treponema denticola

The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of artemisinin derived from water, methanol, ethanol, or acetone extracts of Artemisia annua L. were evaluated. All 4 artemisinin-containing extracts had anti-inflammatory effects. Of these, the acetone extract had the greatest inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and proinflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta , IL-6, and IL-10) production. Antioxidant activity evaluations revealed that the ethanol extract had the highest free radical scavenging activity, (91.0+/-3.2%), similar to alpha-tocopherol (99.9%). The extracts had antimicrobial activity against the periodontopathic microorganisms Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. animalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. polymorphum, and Prevotella intermedia. This study shows that Artemisia annua L. extracts contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial substances and should be considered for use in pharmaceutical products for the treatment of dental diseases.
Acetone ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; alpha-Tocopherol ; Artemisia annua* ; Dinoprostone ; Ethanol ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Interleukin-6 ; Methanol ; Nitric Oxide ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Prevotella intermedia ; Stomatognathic Diseases ; Water