Porphyromonas gingivalis in periodontal pockets and heart valves.
BACKGROUND
There is evidence that advanced infectious chronic periodontal inflammatory disease may have an impact on general health including cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the ability of Porphyromonas gingivalis to colonize heart valves and, subsequently, to assess whether there is an association between the presence of the DNA of Porphyromonas gingivalis in periodontal pockets and in degenerated heart valves.


METHODS
Thirty patients were enrolled in the study and 31 valve specimens harvested during cardiac surgery operations were examined. All patients underwent a periodontal examination. To evaluate the periodontal status of the patients the following clinical parameters were recorded: the pocket depth, bleeding on probing (BOP) and aproximal plaque index (API). The presence of P. gingivalis in heart valve specimens and samples from periodontal pockets was analyzed using a single-step PCR method.


RESULTS
P. gingivalis DNA was detected in periodontal pockets of 15 patients (50%). However, the DNA of this periopathogen was found neither in the aortic nor in the mitral valve specimens.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that P. gingivalis may not have an influence on the development of the degeneration of aortic and mitral valves.
Department of Periodontology; Unit of Oral Pathology; Wroclaw Medical University; Wroclaw, Poland.
Małgorzata
M
Radwan-Oczko
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Perodontics; Wroclaw Medical University; Wroclaw, Poland.
Aleksander
A
Jaworski
Department of Periodontology; Unit of Oral Pathology; Wroclaw Medical University; Wroclaw, Poland.
Irena
I
Duś
Department of Cardiac Surgery; Wroclaw Medical University; Wroclaw, Poland.
Tomasz
T
Plonek
Department of Periodontology; Wroclaw Medical University; Wroclaw, Poland.
Malgorzata
M
Szulc
Department of Cardiac Surgery; Wroclaw Medical University; Wroclaw, Poland.
Wojciech
W
Kustrzycki
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000382:microbiology*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology
Porphyromonas gingivalis; cardiovascular diseases; heart valves; periodontitis; virulence