Evaluation of Red-Complex Bacteria Loads in Complete Denture Patients

Abstract

Abstract Objective To evaluate red-complex bacteria (RCB) loads in edentulous patients, before and after dentures’ insertion. Materials and Methods Thirty patients were included in the study. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) isolated from bacterial samples were obtained from the dorsum of the tongue before and 3 months after complete dentures (CDs) insertion in order to identify the presence of RCB (Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola) and quantify their loads, using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Bacterial loads were represented as “Lg (genome equivalents/sample)” and the data classified according to the “ParodontoScreen” test. Results Significant changes in bacterial loads were observed before and 3 months after the CDs insertion for Porphyromonas gingivalis (0.40 ±0.90 vs 1.29 ±1.64, p = 0.0007), Tannerella forsythia (0.36 ±0.94 vs 0.87 ±1.45, p = 0.005), and Treponema denticola (0.11 ±0.41 vs 0.33 ±0.75, p = 0.03). Before the CDs insertion, all patients had a normal bacterial prevalence range (100%) for all analyzed bacteria. Three months after the insertion, 2 (6.7%) of them had a moderate bacterial prevalence range for Porphyromonas gingivalis, while 28 (93.3%) had a normal bacterial prevalence range. Conclusion The use of CDs has a significant impact on increasing RCB loads in edentulous patients.