ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of Porphyromonas endodontalis, Filifactor alocis and Dialister pneumosintes with the occurrence of periodontitis. Material and Methods Thirty subjects with chronic periodontitis (ChP) and 10 with periodontal health (PH) were included in the study. Nine subgingival biofilm samples were collected as follows: i) PH group - from the mesial/buccal aspect of each tooth in two randomly chosen contralateral quadrants; ii) ChP group - from three sites in each of the following probing depth (PD) categories: shallow (≤3 mm), moderate (4-6 mm) and deep (≥7 mm). Checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization was used to analyze the samples. Results We found the three species evaluated in a higher percentage of sites and at higher levels in the group with ChP than in the PH group (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney test). We also observed these differences when the samples from sites with PD≤4 mm or ≥5 mm of subjects with ChP were compared with those from subjects with PH (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney test). In addition, the prevalence and levels of D. pneumosintes, and especially of F. alocis were very low in healthy subjects (0.12x105 and 0.01x105, respectively). Conclusion F. alocis and D. pneumosintes might be associated with the etiology of ChP, and their role in the onset and progression of this infection should be further investigated. The role of P. endodontalis was less evident, since this species was found in relatively high levels and prevalence in the PH group.

Introducción. Las bacteriemias de origen oral pueden ocurrir después de procedimientos odontológicos y de otros actos cotidianos. Algunas condiciones de la cavidad oral favorecen las bacteriemias como en el caso de pacientes con diabetes mellitus y periodontitis que presentan inflamación gingival exacerbada. Objetivo. Comparar la eficacia de un método independiente de cultivo (PCR cuantitativa) y otro dependiente (BacT-ALERT 3D ® ) en la detección de la bacteriemia. Materiales y métodos. Se tomaron muestras de sangre de individuos con diabetes mellitus de tipo II y periodontitis, antes y después de la masticación de manzana. Una alícuota se procesó por el sistema automatizado de hemocultivo (BacT-ALERT 3D ® ) y se monitorizó durante 15 días; la otra alícuota fue tratada para la extracción del ADN y procesada por RT-PCR usando un conjunto de cebadores de 16S rDNA exclusivos para bacterias. Resultados. En las muestras tomadas antes de masticar se confirmó la ausencia de bacterias mediante los dos métodos. En las muestras tomadas después de masticar la presencia de bacterias se evidenció únicamente en dos hemocultivos y en ninguna de las muestras se detectó la presencia de bacterias con el método de RT-PCR. Conclusiones. La PCR cuantitativa no mostró mayor eficacia que el BacT-ALERT 3D ® en la detección de la bacteriemia de origen oral.

Introduction: Oral-derived bacteremia may occur after several dental procedures and routine daily activities. Some conditions of the oral cavity may favor episodes of bacteremia. This would be the case of patients with diabetes mellitus and periodontitis, who exhibit exacerbated gingival inflammation and may be more prone to developing oral-derived bacteremia. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of an independent culture method (quantitative real-time PCR- qCR) and the most commonly used method (BacT-ALERT 3D ® ) for the diagnosis of bacteremia. Materials and methods: Blood samples were drawn from subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis before and after apple chewing. Samples were processed by an automated blood culture system (BacT-ALERT 3D ® ) monitored for 15 days with suitable subculture of positive cultures. In parallel, whole DNA from blood samples was purified using a commercial kit and screened by qPCR using a universal primer set of 16S rDNA for bacteria detection. Results: Blood cultures taken before apple chewing were shown to be negative by the two diagnostic methods. After chewing, two samples (11%) showed bacterial growth by BacT-ALERT 3D ® whereas qPCR did not detect the presence of bacteria in any sample. Conclusions: qPCR did not show greater effectiveness than the BacT-ALERT 3D ® in the detection of bacteremia of oral origin.

Objective The aim of this systematic review was to compare the clinical effectiveness of systemic antibiotics administered in the active stage of periodontal treatment or after the healing phase. Material and Methods An electronic search was performed in the databases EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. A manual search of the reference list of selected studies and of review articles was also performed up to November 2013. Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) that evaluated the systemic administration of antibiotics as adjuvants to scaling and root planning (SRP) at different phases of periodontal treatment were included. Systematic reviews and studies that evaluated subjects with systemic diseases and those that used subantimicrobial doses of antibiotics were excluded. Results The initial search identified 1,039 articles, of which seven were selected, and only one met the inclusion criteria. This study showed that subjects taking metronidazole and amoxicillin at the initial phase of treatment exhibited statistically significantly greater reduction in pocket depth and gain in clinical attachment level in initially deep sites (PD≥7 mm) than subjects taking antibiotics after healing (p<0.05). This comparison was conducted 2 months after antibiotic intake, at the healing phase. Conclusion To date, only one short-term RCT has directly compared different moments of systemic antibiotics administration, as adjuncts to SRP, in the treatment of periodontitis. Although the results of this study suggested some benefits for antibiotics intake during the active phase of therapy, these findings need to be confirmed by larger placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials with longer follow-up periods.

Introducción. Porphyromonas gingivalis es el principal agente etiológico de la periodontitis. El gen fimA ha sido relacionado con la virulencia del microorganismo, lo cual sugiere la participación de dicho gen en la capacidad del microorganismo para alcanzar el torrente sanguíneo. Objetivo. Estudiar la distribución de los tipos de fimA de P. gingivalis en muestras de placa subgingival y de sangre obtenidas durante bacteriemias después de raspaje y alisado radicular. Materiales y métodos. Se practicó un alisado radicular a 15 pacientes con periodontitis. Se obtuvieron aislamientos clínicos de P. gingivalis de la placa subgingival y durante la bacteriemia inducida por el procedimiento. Para la genotipificación se utilizó la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) específica para fimA. En los aislamientos no clasificables por PCR se realizó secuenciación del gen fimA. Resultados. Seis pacientes fueron positivos para bacteriemia por P. gingivalis. La distribución de fimA evaluada en 30 aislamientos de placa subgingival y de sangre mostró una mayor frecuencia del fimA tipo II de P. gingivalis. En los aislamientos de placa subgingival, la detección de fimA tipo II fue seguida por Ib, III y IV; sin embargo, en los aislamientos de sangre el tipo II fue seguido por los tipos IV, Ib y III. Conclusión. En los aislamientos de sangre y de placa subgingival de pacientes con periodontitis el fimA más frecuente fue el tipo II; no fue posible correlacionar el tipo de fimA con la bacteriemia inducida por el alisado radicular. Los resultados de la secuenciación del gen fimA no concuerdan con los obtenidos por PCR.

Introduction. Porphyromonas gingivalis is considered as a major etiological agent in the onset and progression of chronic destructive periodontitis. Porphyromonus gingivalis fimA type has been correlated to the virulence potential of the strain; therefore this gene could be involved in the ability of P. gingivalis to reach blood stream. Objective. The classifications of P. gingivalis fimA types will be compared in subgingival plaque and blood samples collected after scaling and root root planing of periodontitis patients. Materials and methods. Fifteen periodontitis patients requiring scaling and root planing were enrolled. P. gingivalis isolates were classed to genotype with fimA type-specific PCR assay. fimA gene was sequenced if the isolate was listed as unclassifiable after PCR technique. Results. Six patients showed positive P. gingivalis bacteremia. The most frequent fimA was fimA type II, followed by Ib, III and IV. In blood strains, type II was followed by IV, Ib and III. Conclusion. Type II was the most frequent genotype in blood samples and in subgingival plaque samples. However, no correlation was found between the frequency of any fimA type with SRP induced bacteremia. P. gingivalis fimA type appears to be conserved within individual patients throughout the times of sample collection. fimA gene sequence results were not in agreement with results of fimA genotyping by PCR.