Periodontal Disease and Prevalence of Periodontal Pathogens in Guatemalan Scholars

Objectives:

Prevalence, severity and extension of periodontal disease as well as prevalence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.) in Guatemalan scholars, from 6 to 12 years of age, were assessed nationwide in 2003, using the regional health division of the National Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance of Guatemala. Although previous studies report almost a universal gingival inflammation among Guatemalan children, they used partial mouth recordings. Therefore, these studies may underestimate prevalence of certain periodontal conditions.

Methods:

A random representative cluster sample of 2321 scholars was studied. Only those subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and signed the informed consent were studied. 10 calibrated examinators participated in this trial. The clinical examination comprised registration of: absent teeth, full mouth probing pocket depth (PPD), full mouth gingival bleeding upon probing (BOP), tooth mobility and furcations. For bacteriological analysis, pooled intra- and extracrevicular plaque samples were taken, placed in Reduced Transport Fluid and kept frozen; then processed for A.a. and P.g. with PCR.

Results:

Prevalence of periodontal disease among scholars was 96.51% (n=2240/2321). Periodontal disease severity was as follows: 99.30% exhibited PPD < 3mm, meanwhile 0.69% had PPD 4-6 mm and 0.01% had PPD > 7 mm. In regard to periodontal disease extension, 27.06% (n=628/2321) and 24.34% (n= 565/2321) had 6 to 10 teeth and 11 to 15 teeth, respectively, with at least 1 PPD > 4mm. Overall, prevalence of periodontal pathogens was 5.77%; prevalence of A.a. was 2.59%, P.g. was 2.97% and A.a. and P.g. was 0.21 %, respectively.

Conclusion:

Prevalence of periodontal disease among Guatemalan scholars from 6 to 12 years of age is high; periodontal disease severity is low and periodontal disease extent is moderate. Prevalence of periodontal pathogens (A.a. and/or P.g.) is low.

This study was supported in part by a DIGI-USAC grant.