Abstract
Objective: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are gram negative, microaerophilic, spiral-shaped bacteria found in the gastric mucosa. Infection with this organism is connected with peptic and duodenal ulcers, gastric carcinoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). On average, 50% of people in the world are infected by this microorganism. The route by which H. pylori infection is transmitted is not yet clear and there are many unanswered questions, among them whether the oral cavity could be considered as a reservoir of these bacteria. We investigated a relationship between H. pylori infection and dental caries/periodontitis.
Methods: The population of the study was 68 subjects (34-82 years old, mean age 59) who had undergone esophagogastroduodenoscopy and blood tests. Student’s t test and the chi-square test were applied.
Results: In line with previous studies, pepsinogen I/II and anti-helicobacter pylori antigens (IgG) were low (gastric disease (+) 4.2, disease (-) 5.8, p=0.023) and high (gastric disease (+) 42.2U/mL, disease (-) 8.7U/mL, p=0.015), respectively, in subjects with gastric disease. However, subjects with dental caries/periodontitis had a low prevalence of gastric disease. Moreover, the pepsinogen I/II ratio was high (p=0.012) and anti-helicobacter pylori antigen levels were low (p=0.020) in subjects with periodontitis. Similar results were seen in those with dental caries, although they were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: There was not enough evidence for an association between H. pylori infection and dental disease. Further studies are needed to clarify whether there is a causative link between H. pylori infection and dental disease in the Japanese population.
