Subgingival prevalence rate of enteric rods in subjects with periodontal health and disease

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of enteric rods and their association with chronic periodontitis has gained prominence recently. Although the prevalence of these organisms from the subgingival plaque sample was reported in the literature, the carriage rate of these rods in our population is lacking. The present study was undertaken to know the carriage rate of enteric rods from our population in patients with periodontal health and disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-four systemically healthy participants, inclusive of 46 males and 38 females, were selected for the study. The selected participants were subjected to a periodontal examination and were categorized into chronic periodontitis and healthy group. Subgingival plaque samples were taken from all the participants, plated onto McConkey agar plates, and incubated overnight at 37(°) C to check for the growth of organisms. The grown organisms were then cultured according to the standard procedures. RESULTS: Prevalence of 71% and 83% of enteric rods in subjects with periodontal health and disease, respectively, was found in our study which was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Although no significant differences exist in the prevalence of enteric rods between healthy and patients with chronic periodontitis, the prevalence rate of enteric rods in subgingival plaque samples is considerably high in our population.