Buccal Cavity Protozoa in Patients Referred to the Faculty of Dentistry in Tehran, Iran

Buccal cavity as a compound ecosystem has always been ignored in parasitic infection studies; however it seems that studying on mouth and tooth prevalent parasitic infections is of great importance. In this study, from 120 patients of both sexes referred to Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, (2001-2002) 240 samples were taken from the plaques and calculus of depth of tooth and gum pockets. Wet-mount technique is regarded as the best and quickest diagnostic method for Trichomonas. tenax while Entamoeba. gingivalis is best diagnosed by Trichrome vitelli staining method using Bovin fixative. 41.7% and 9.2% of the cases were infected by Entamoeba. gingivalis and T.tenax, respectively, while 3.3% were infected by both parasitic protozoa. Infection to mouth amoeba was more prevalent in males at the age of 21-30 yr old while no relation was found between age/sex as to infection with Trichomonas. tenax. Accordingly, a direct relation was found between the frequency of the parasites and some factors such as periodontal tissue condition, degree of gum bleeding and inflammation, gum color and tooth decay.