Microorganismos en lengua y saliva de pacientes edéntulos y con periodontitis crónica y su posible conexión con la Proteína C reactiva

Background: There is clinical and experimental evidence that C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a systemic inflammation marker associated to the chronic periodontal disease. This disease is the main cause of edentulousness and, in some cases, both conditions involve the same microorganisms. Objective: To identify the periodontopathic microorganisms appearing in both edentulous patients and patients with moderate/advanced periodontal disease and to determine how they relate to the ultrasensible CRP (US-CRP). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 61 patients with ages above 30 years divided into two groups: patients with chronic periodontal disease and edentulous patients. Each patient was taken a saliva sample from the tongue dorsum for microbiologic identification of microorganisms, and serum samples for US-CRP evaluation. The relation between microorganisms and US-CRP was analyzed and described per group. Results: The US-CRP showed a maximum value of 112 mg/L in the edentulous group without any statistically significant difference as compared to the periodontal chronic disease group (p = 029). However, higher values of US-CRP were observed in patients with microorganisms such as Candida albicans, Porphiromona gingivalis, Actinomyces naeslundii (A. naeslundii), Capnocytophaga sp., Streptococcus intermedius (S. intermedius) and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. Conclusion: Based on the results herein, no difference is observed for the USCRP between edentulous patients and chronic periodontal disease patients. The main periodontal pathogens found in the edentulous subjects include Capnocytophaga sp., A. naeslundii and S. intermedius, both in the tongue and the saliva.