Molecular analysis of oral bacteria in dental biofilm and atherosclerotic plaques of patients with vascular disease

Abstract Background Oral bacteria have been detected in atherosclerotic plaques at a variable frequency; however, the connection between oral health and vascular and oral bacterial profiles of patients with vascular disease is not clearly established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of oral bacterial DNA in the mouth and atherosclerotic plaques, in addition to assessing the patients’ caries and periodontal disease history. Methods Thirty samples of supragingival and subgingival plaque, saliva and atherosclerotic plaques of 13 patients with carotid stenosis or aortic aneurysm were evaluated, through real-time polymerase chain reaction, for the presence of Streptococcus mutans (SM), Prevotella intermedia (PI), Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG) and Treponema denticola (TD). All patients were submitted to oral examination using the DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) and PSR (Periodontal Screening and Recording) indexes. Histopathological analysis of the atherosclerotic plaques was performed. Results Most of the patients were edentulous (76.9%). SM, PI, PG and TD were detected in 100.0%, 92.0%, 15.3% and 30.7% of the oral samples, respectively. SM was the most prevalent targeted bacteria in atherosclerotic plaques, detected in 100% of the samples, followed by PI (7.1%). The vascular samples were negative for PG and TD. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the presence of PG and TD in the oral cavity and vascular samples. Conclusion SM was found at a high frequency in oral and vascular samples, even in edentulous patients, and its presence in atherosclerotic plaques suggests the possible involvement of this bacterium in the disease progression.