Objective Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common bacterial infections in men. This gastrointestinal pathogen is closely related to gastritis, peptic ulcers, and the increased risk of gastric cancer. Numerous studies have indicated oral cavities as possible Helicobacter pylori reservoirs. Helicobacter pylori has been detected both in supragingival and subgingival plaques, and also in saliva. In addition, the relationship between lesions of oral mucosa and the presence of H. pylori has been evaluated and described in some studies. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of Helicobacter pylori DNA in the oral cavity of patients with oral leukoplakia and oral lichen planus.Material and Methods The study included 54 patients with oral leukoplakia, 72 with oral lichen planus lesions, and 40 healthy controls. The presence of Helicobacter pylori in oral cavity samples was analyzed using a single-step Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. All patients underwent a periodontal examination and the following clinical parameters were collected: pocket depth, bleeding, and plaque indexes. The periodontal status was assessed using the Offenbacher classification.Results In most patients, pathological lesions were in typical sites on the buccal mucosa (leukoplakia in 88%, and oral lichen planus in 93% of patients). The DNA of the Helicobacter pylori was present in 20% of patients with leukoplakia and 23% of patients with lichen planus. We did not find the DNA of H. pylori in healthy controls. The periodontal status described by periodontal indices was worse in the investigated group than in the control group.Conclusion These findings suggest that the H. pylori presence in oral cavities may be related with leukoplakia and lichen planus oral lesions.

Periodontal therapy focuses on thorough removal of subgingival calculus and plaque products followed by the smoothing out of root surfaces. However, such conventional mechanotherapeutic approaches are inefficient with regard to microbial biofilm elimination from the space between the root and deep periodontal pockets. Therefore, local chemotherapeutic agents need to be applied. Local antimicrobial treatment is also considered a safer treatment, as it avoids systemic complications related to drug application. In this study, porous matrices consisting of gelatin (GE) and cellulose derivatives (carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)) were loaded with antimicrobial drug metronidazole (MTZ). The matrices’ structural morphology, physiochemical properties, swelling and degradation ratio, mechanical properties, and MTZ release from the matrices were analyzed. Additionally, cytotoxicity tests for fibroblast and osteoblast cell cultures (L929 and U2-OS, respectively) and antimicrobial activity assessments of MTZ-loaded matrices against anaerobic Bacteroides sp. Bacteria were performed. Finally, clinical application of HEC matrices into periodontal pockets was conducted. The applied matrices showed a high antibacterial efficacy and a moderate cytotoxicity in vitro. The clinical application of HEC dressings corresponded with the decrease of periodontal pockets’ depth and bleeding observed 1 month after a single application. The presented results show that intra-pocket application of metronidazole using manufactured matrices may serve not only as a support for a standard treatment in periodontal practice but also as an alternative to systemic drug administration in this setting. Clinical data were analyzed using a nonparametric Friedman’s ANOVA for dependent trials.

Helicobacter pylori since Marshall and Warren's discovery has been an object of interest of gastroenterologists and many researchers of other specialties. What needs to be highlighted is also the growing interest of dentists in the role of oral residue of H. pylori in oral pathologies such as burning mouth syndrome, periodontitis and gingivitis. With the development of medical techniques more studies using highly specific diagnostic methods are performed in order to determine the transmission pattern of bacterial infection. Suggested faecal-oral and oral-oral routes of bacterial transmission raised interest in molecular biology methods as tools for the study of these environments. Additionally, co-existence of helical and coccoidal forms of H. pylori in the mentioned niches raised the question whether the latter is potentially pathogenic. This is why molecular biology is now giving a great opportunity to explore parts of the human body that could not have been diagnosed before using only gold standard diagnostic methods. Molecular techniques have shown their usefulness in examining the potential virulence of coccoid forms of bacterium. This review was created also to summarize the knowledge about molecular methods, especially different PCR techniques, as diagnostic tools that can help medical teams during regular diagnosis of gastritis.

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K Ke ey y w wo or rd ds s: : biofilm, Helicobacter pylori, infections, gastrointestinal tract. S Sł ło ow wa a k kl lu uc cz zo ow we e: : biofilm, Helicobacter pylori, zakażenia, przewód pokarmowy.A Ad dd dr re es ss s f fo or r c co or rr re es sp po on nd de en nc ce e: : Aldona Bińkowska, Department of Microbiology, Wroclaw Medical University, 4 Chałubińskiego St, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland, phone: +48 71 784 12 88, e-mail: aldona.binkowska@gmail.com Review paper/Artykuł poglądowy AbstractThe significance of biofilm in pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections is poorly understood. Biofilm is thought to play a role in transmission of infection to humans, may influence the nature of inflammatory changes in the gastrointestinal tract, and may cause reinfection. In this study, the forms of life of H. pylori, biofilm formation in the environment and human gastrointestinal tract and its impact on the course of infection as well as difficulties in elimination of infections accompanied with biofilm are discussed. StreszczenieZnaczenie biofilmu w patogenezie zakażeń pałeczkami Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) nie jest do końca poznane. Uważa się, że biofilm może odgrywać rolę w transmisji zakażenia tymi drobnoustrojami, a także wpływać na charakter zmian zapalnych w przewodzie pokarmowym człowieka i przyczyniać się do ponownej infekcji. W pracy omówiono formy bytowania H. pylori, tworzenie się biofilmu w środowisku zewnętrznym i w przewodzie pokarmowym człowieka, jego wpływ na przebieg zakażenia oraz trudności w eliminacji zakażeń przebiegających z tworzeniem biofilmu.