Background
The oral flagellated protozoan
Trichomonas tenax
has been associated with patients with periodontal disease. However, no recent studies have been conducted on the prevalence of
T. tenax
in Chile. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of
T. tenax
in patients with periodontal disease, admitted to the Dental Clinic of the University of Antofagasta, Chile, through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of the beta-tubulin gene.
Methods
An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 patients diagnosed with periodontal disease, 20 of them with gingivitis and 30 with periodontitis.
T. tenax
was identified by PCR amplification of the beta-tubulin gene. Associations between the protozoan and periodontal disease or the presence of risk factors to establish
T. tenax
infection were determined using the chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis.
Results
T. tenax
was present in 28 out of 50 (56%) of patients with periodontal disease, and was more prevalent when associated with periodontitis (21 out of 30; 70%) than dental plaque-induced gingivitis (7 out of 20; 35%). Non-statistically-significant associations were observed between the presence of
T. tenax
and age, gender, smoking habit or diabetes. Statistically significant associations were observed between the presence of
T. tenax
and periodontal disease, and between
T. tenax
and the Periodontal Screening and Recording (PSR) index.
Conclusion
T. tenax
showed a high presence in patients with progressive states of periodontal diseases. Consequently,
T. tenax
detection is strongly recommended in patients with periodontal disease diagnosis and with a PSR index greater than 3.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (10.1186/s12903-019-0885-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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