Reduction in prevalence of Archaea after periodontal therapy in subjects with generalized aggressive periodontitis

Abstract

Background: There is evidence of a possible relationship between Archaea and periodontal disease; however, to date few studies have assessed the changes in prevalence of this domain after periodontal therapy. The aim of this randomized double-blind and placebo-controlled study was to assess if periodontal treatment with or without systemic antibiotic would change the prevalence of Archaea after periodontal therapy.

Methods: Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to receive scaling and root planing (SRP) alone or combined with metronidazole (MTZ) + amoxicillin (AMX) for 14 days. Clinical and microbiological examinations were performed at baseline and at six months post-SRP. Nine subgingival plaque samples per subject were analysed for the presence of Archaea.

Results: SRP alone or combined with MTZ + AMX significantly reduced the prevalence of subjects colonized by Archaea at six months post-therapy. However, no significant differences between treatment groups were observed (p > 0.05). Both therapies led to a statistically significant decrease in the mean percentage of sites colonized by Archaea (p < 0.05). A negative Spearman correlation was observed between the presence of Archaea and the mean clinical attachment gain at six months post-therapy (r(2) = -0.61; 95% CI -0.80- -0.31; p = 0.003).

Conclusions: SRP alone or combined with MTZ + AMX provides a similar reduction in the prevalence of Archaea in the subgingival biofilm of subjects with generalized aggressive periodontitis.

Keywords: Archaea; dental plaque; generalized aggressive periodontitis; periodontal disease; scaling and root planing.