Periodontal conditions and prevalence of putative periodontopathogens and Candida spp. in insulin-dependent type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis--a pilot study

Objectives

The aims of this study were to evaluate periodontal conditions and identify the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia, and four different species of Candida (C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis) in periodontal pockets and furcation sites of insulin-dependent type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic patients with generalised chronic periodontitis.

Design

Clinical parameters, including oral status assessed using plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, gingival recession and clinical attachment level and systemic conditions with fasting glucose level or glycosylated haemoglobin were measured in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis. Samples of subgingival biofilm were obtained from the periodontal pockets and furcation sites and submitted to phenol-chloroform DNA extraction and PCR analysis using specific primers.

Results

Clinical conditions of diabetic and non-diabetic patients were similar, without statistical differences in both periodontal indexes and glucose levels (p > 0.05). Diabetics had a higher prevalence of Candida spp., mainly C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, and a lower frequency of T. forsythia, when compared to non-diabetic patients, for both periodontal sites. C. glabrata and C. tropicalis were not found in periodontal pockets and furcation sites of non-diabetic patients.

Conclusion

The results demonstrated a strong colonisation of Candida spp. in the periodontal sites of diabetic patients that have generalised chronic periodontitis with a higher prevalence of C. dubliniensis followed by C. albicans.