Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been related to various gastroduodenal disorders. The objective of this study was to detect H. pylori in gastric mucosa and relate it to its presence in the oral cavity. Fifty-four patients with medical indication of digestive endoscopy from the Gastroenterology Unit of the Regional Hospital of Concepción, Chile, were studied. Gastric samples were obtained from each patient from antrum and corpus through endoscopic biopsies. Oral samples were obtained from dental plaque and saliva swabs from the floor of the mouth and the base of the tongue. Oral and gastric sample were studied by culture. Oral samples from patients with positive gastric cultures for H. pylori (n = 21) were studied by culture, conventional PCR and Real Time PCR. All cultures from oral samples were negative (0/21) for H. pylori. Only one sample of dental plaque was positive with conventional PCR (1/21), while all samples of saliva were negative. However, samples from all patients were positive with Real Time PCR (20/21 dental plaque, 21/21 saliva from the floor of the mouth, 20/21 saliva from the base of the tongue). The results suggest that there is a correlation between the presence of H. pylori in gastric mucosa and the oral cavity. Also, that Real Time PCR the best technique to detect low number of bacteria in the oral cavity.