Objective: To identify virulence genes found in highly virulent strains of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) among Chinese patients with chronic periodontitis and to evaluate the association of these virulence genes with clinical parameters and with periodontal tissue destruction.
Material and methods: Suppression subtractive hybridization was applied to acquire short gene fragments harbored only in virulent strains of P. gingivalis W83. Eighteen genes, which were present in P. gingivalis W83 but absent from P. gingivalis ATCC 33277, were labeled with Cy5 and used as probes in DNA microarray hybridization to analyze DNA of P. gingivalis isolated from chronic periodontitis patients.
Results: Spearman correlation analysis revealed 10 genes correlated with probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and tooth mobility (p<0.05).
Conclusion: These genes may provide an important clue towards our understanding the mechanism of occurrence and the development of periodontal disease.