Evaluation of the relationship between subgingival microbiome in obese and nonobese clinically healthy and periodontitis patients – An experimental study

This study investigates the association between obesity and the prevalence of periodontopathic bacteria in obese/overweight individuals and healthy/normal-weight individuals, focusing mainly on the red complex organisms in individuals with and without periodontitis. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 14 participants (7 obese/overweight and 7 healthy weight individuals), further categorized into periodontitis and healthy periodontium groups. Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were measured, total cholesterol level was determined, and probing pocket depth was determined. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained and examined for the presence of Tannerella forsythia , Porphyromonas gingivalis , and Treponema denticola through the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Obese patients had a significant association with P . gingivalis . In contrast, T . forsythia and T . denticola numbers were not statistically significant. Five out of seven obese participants had periodontitis, compared to four out of seven participants in the healthy weight group. Within the limitations of this pilot cross-sectional study, obesity was associated with an increased prevalence of P . gingivalis in individuals with periodontitis. These findings suggest that obesity may have a possible association with alterations in the subgingival red complex bacterial profile. However, results should be interpreted cautiously, and larger longitudinal studies are required to confirm these observations.