Clinical and Microbiological Profiles of Aggressive and Chronic Periodontitis in Congolese Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Chronic and aggressive periodontitis were the main forms of periodontitis according to the 1999 classification of periodontal diseases and conditions. Their profile in Congolese patients is still undescribed. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the profile of chronic periodontitis (ChP) with that of aggressive periodontitis (AgP) in Congolese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with ChP and 20 with AgP who consulted the dental services at any of the four medical centers in Kinshasa, from April 2017 to April 2018, were enrolled in the cross-sectional study. All patients underwent a full mouth examination, including assessment of the probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level at six sites per tooth. Microbial samples were collected in the deepest pocket in the maxilla and the deepest pocket in the mandible. A deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis was performed using DNA strip technology. Fisher exact test, the chi-square test, the t test, and the Mann–Whitney test were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Patients with AgP were significantly younger than those with ChP (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, or Prevotella intermedia between the AgP and ChP groups (P > 0.05). Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was detected in 10% of cases in the AgP group and in none of those in the ChP group (P = 0.143). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the clinical profiles of ChP and AgP are similar in Congolese patients. There were no microbiological differences between these two forms of periodontitis.