Aggressive periodontitis in southwestern American Indian adolescents

Thomas E Rams; Adolfo Contreras; Jørgen Slots

doi:10.1002/JPER.23-0410

Aggressive periodontitis in southwestern American Indian adolescents

J Periodontol. 2023 Nov 1. doi: 10.1002/JPER.23-0410. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Thomas E Rams¹, Adolfo Contreras², Jørgen Slots³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology, Temple University School of Dentistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
² Periodontal Medicine Research Group, Department of Periodontology, Universidad del Valle School of Dentistry, Cali, Colombia.
³ Division of Periodontology and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Southern California School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California, USA.

PMID: 37910464
DOI: 10.1002/JPER.23-0410

Abstract

Background: This study determined the prevalence of aggressive (molar-incisor pattern) (Ag/MI) periodontitis and assessed the associated subgingival bacterial-herpesvirus microbiota in Pueblo Indian adolescents in the southwestern United States.

Methods: The study included 240 Pueblo Indian adolescents, aged 13-20 years old, residing in three Rio Grande River villages in New Mexico and the Hopi Pueblo reservation in Arizona. Adolescents with Ag/MI periodontitis or periodontal health provided subgingival samples for culture of bacterial pathogens and for polymerase chain reaction detection of periodontal herpesviruses.

Results: Ag/MI periodontitis was detected in 22 (9.2%) Pueblo Indian adolescents, with 21 exhibiting a localized molar-incisor breakdown pattern. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and other red/orange complex bacterial pathogens predominated in Ag/MI periodontitis, whereas periodontal health yielded mainly viridans streptococci and Actinomyces species. Periodontal herpesviruses demonstrated a 3.5 odds ratio relationship with Ag/MI periodontitis. The only adolescent with generalized Ag/MI periodontitis harbored viral co-infection by cytomegalovirus plus Epstein-Barr virus Type 1, in addition to A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, and several other periodontopathic bacteria.

Conclusions: Pueblo Indian adolescents showed an unusually high prevalence of early-age Ag/MI periodontitis predominated by periodontopathic bacteria and herpesviruses suspected to be major etiologic agents of the disease.

Keywords: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans; Porphyromonas gingivalis; aggressive periodontitis; herpesvirus; microbiota.