The Role of Fusobacterium Nucleatum on Chronic Periodontitis (Literature Review)

Abstract

Chronic periodontitis is the most often disease in the oral cavity which attacks the supporting tissues of the teeth. This disease develops slowly, resulting in teeth experiencing loss of attachment and alveolar bone loss. The main cause of chronic periodontitis is bacterial plaque which is a soft deposit in the form of a thin layer of biofilm containing a collection of pathogenic microorganisms, one of it is Fusobacterium nucleatum. Fusobacterium nucleatum is an obligate anaerobic Gram negative bacterium and found in a healthy or diseased oral cavity. Fusobacterium nucleatum can be isolated from the oral cavity and other infections in the human body such as skin ulcers, peritonsillar abscesses, septic arthritis and endocarditis. Fusobacterium nucleatum plays an important role in the formation of plaque because it functions as a "bridge bacterium", which is a link for bacteria found in the early phases of plaque colonization with bacteria found in the final plaque colonization. Fusobacterium nucleatum is one of the bacteria most isolated from periodontal pocket of patients with chronic periodontitis. Lipopolysaccharides found on the outer membrane of Fusobacterium nucleatum and metabolic result from this bacteria can cause periodontal tissue damage in the cases of chronic periodontitis.

Inhibition of the Biofilm Formation of Anaerobic Bacteria Involved in Secondary Caries by Dental Adhesive

“…This bacterium has the capacity to form intracellular polymers from many kinds of sugar and ferment them when amino acid conditions are reduced to make energy. Further, toxic substances produced by F. nucleatum, such as butyric and propionic acids or hydrogen sulfide, can also participate in tissue damage [16,17].…”

A Potential “Vitaminic Strategy” against Caries and Halitosis

“…The latter are needed to assemble the complex structure of a mature and resistant oral biofilm [6,13,14]. Moreover, F. nucleatum is involved in the onset of gingivitis and periodontal diseases [17,61]. Due to its great ability to produce the malodorous sulfur compound H 2 S, its enrichment in the oral cavity is also associated with the onset of halitosis [18,19,22,62].…”

“…Due to its coating adhesion molecules and polysaccharide receptors, it co-aggregates both with the early and late streptococcal colonizers; these latter, mainly Gram-negative, anaerobes belong to the genera of Bacteroidetes and Spirochaetes [13][14][15]. In addition to this bridging role in the biofilm network, the enhanced prevalence of F. nucleatum within the deep periodontal pockets suggests that this germ also plays an active role as a periodontal pathogen [16,17]. In this niche, F. nucleatum stimulates the production of host matrix metalloproteinases, the increased levels of which concur to the initial periodontal inflammation in periodontal diseases [14].…”