Periodontal status and the incidence of selected bacterial pathogens in periodontal pockets and vascular walls in patients with atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the periodontal status of patients with atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms. The occurrence of 5 periodontopathogens was evaluated in periodontal pockets and atheromatous plaques together with specimens from pathologically changed vascular walls of aortic aneurysms. The study comprised 39 patients who qualified for vascular surgeries. Patients with periodontitis and concomitant atherosclerosis or aneurysms were enrolled in the study. Periodontal indices were evaluated, and subgingival plaque samples were examined together with atheromatous plaques or specimens from vascular walls to identify, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the following periodontopathogens: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tanarella forsythia, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia and Treponema denticola. The majority of patients had chronic severe generalized periodontitis in stages III and IV. Laboratory investigations showed the occurrence of one or more of the five targeted periodontopathogens in 94.6% of the periodontal pockets examined. Of the examined periodontopathogens, only Porphyromonas gingivalis was confirmed in 1 atheromatous plaque sample collected from the wall of an aortic aneurysm. Therefore, the occurrence of this bacterium in these vessels was considered to be occasional in patients with chronic periodontitis.

Porphyromonas gingivalis regulates atherosclerosis through an immune pathway

“…Another study using metagenomics techniques noted that P. gingivalis colonization was detected in the coronary or femoral arteries of 42 patients with AS who participated in the study and that P. gingivalis accounted for nearly 80% of all colonized bacterial species, but the study was notably deficient in that it did not assess the periodontal status of the participants ( 23 ). Some scholars believe that the difference in the detection rate of P. gingivalis in AS plaques may be due to demographic, geographical, and ethnic differences, as well as different sampling methods and laboratory testing methods of clinical samples, but there are no related statistical and methodological differences ( 24 ). The colonization and invasion of P. gingivalis into the arterial wall allows P. gingivalis to acquire a “privileged niche”.…”

Role of oxidative stress in the relationship between periodontitis and systemic diseases

“…Study suggests that periodontitis is a potential risk factor for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) ( Turgut Cankaya et al, 2018 ; Kregielczak et al, 2022 ). Circulating lipid peroxides related to periodontitis were found in both AMI and control subjects ( Diaz et al, 2020 ; Toczewska et al, 2020 ).…”