Prevalence of periodontal pathogens with varying metabolic control of diabetes mellitus.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of 5 periodontal pathogens in individuals with diabetes mellitus. Subjects (n = 107) 20-70 years of age with type 1 (n = 60) or 2 (n = 47) diabetes mellitus were studied for the occurrence of the periodontal pathogens A. actinomycetemcomitans, F. nucleatum, E. corrodens, P. gingivalis and P. intermedia. Subgingival plaque was sampled in each subject from a single site exhibiting the greatest inflammation. The evaluation of selected periodontal bacterial pathogens was based on an immunoassay utilizing bacterial specific monoclonal antibodies. 35% of the sites harbored P. gingivalis, 28% F. nucleatum and 21% E. corrodens. A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. intermedia were found in less than 10% of the sites. Subjects for whom the probing depth at the sampled site was > or = 4 mm were more often found to have detectable pathogens than those with a probing depth < or = 3 mm. Diabetic factors such as duration, type and metabolic control of the disease had no statistically significant effect on the prevalence of these bacteria.