Prevalence of Subgingival Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans : Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

This paper aims to investigate the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and to assess potential indicators of the risk of severe form(s) of periodontitis. A descriptive cross-sectional study of 156 consecutive patients with periodontitis was conducted. Subgingival plaque samples were collected from the participants. The identification of A. actinomycetemcomitans was performed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. A descriptive analysis, a chi-square test, and a binary logistic regression statistical evaluation were performed. The prevalence of A. actinomycetemcomitans in this population of 156 participants was 17.30% (27 patients). The prevalence of stage-III periodontitis was 75.6% and greater in older men, while the prevalence of stage-IV periodontitis was 22.4% and greater in younger women. We observed a significant relation between the risk of severe periodontitis (stage-IV) and poor oral hygiene ( p = 0.006), attendance at dental appointments ( p ≤ 0.001), and familial history of periodontitis ( p = 0.032). In conclusion, twenty-seven individuals were positive for A. actinomycetemcomitans . Poor oral hygiene, family history of periodontitis, and irregular attendance at dental appointments were identified as potential risk factors for severe periodontitis in this cohort.