Bozidar Dimitrijevic

Prevalence of human cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus in subgingival plaque at peri-implantitis, mucositis and healthy sites. A pilot study

This study evaluated the prevalence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in peri-implantitis and mucositis sites and the correlation between herpesvirus and clinical parameters. Fifty-six dental implants (mean time of loading, 4.27±1.6 years) were evaluated (20 peri-implantitis, 18 mucositis, 18 healthy peri-implant sites.) The clinical parameters assessed were: visible plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), suppuration (SUP), probing depth (PD). A polymerase chain reaction assay identified HCMV and EBV in subgingival plaque samples. The percent of sites with plaque and BOP was significantly higher around mucositis and peri-implantitis compared with healthy implants (p<0.05). The mean PD around the implants was significantly higher in peri-implantitis, followed by mucositis and healthy implants (p<0.05). HCMV was detected in 13 (65%) and EBV in 9 (45%) of the 20 peri-implantitis sites. HCMV was found in 1 of the 18 (6%) healthy periodontal sites and EBV in 2 (11%). A statistically significant correlation was found between presence of HCMV and EBV subgingivally and clinical parameters of peri-implantitis and healthy sites. These results confirm the high prevalence of HCMV and EBV in subgingival plaque of peri-implantitis sites and suggest the viruses have a possible active pathogenic role in peri-implantitis.

Correlation between different genotypes of human cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus and peri-implant tissue status

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of different genotypes of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in peri-implantitis and mucositis sites, and to evaluate the correlation between herpesvirus presence and clinical parameters. METHODS A total of 80 dental implants (mean time of loading, 4.16 ± 1.8 years) were evaluated during the course of the study (30 peri-implantitis, 25 mucositis and 25 healthy peri-implant sites). The following clinical parameters were assessed: visible plaque index, bleeding on probing, suppuration and probing depth. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to identify the presence of different HCMV and EBV genotypes in peri-implant tissue plaque samples. RESULTS HCMV-2 was detected in 53.3% and EBV-1 in 46.6% of the 30 peri-implantitis sites evaluated. By contrast, HCMV-2 was not detected in healthy periodontal sites and EBV-1 was detected in one healthy site. A statistically significant correlation was found between the presence of HCMV-2 and EBV-1 genotypes and clinical parameters of peri-implantitis. CONCLUSIONS The results from the present study confirmed the high prevalence of HCMV-2 and EBV-1 in the peri-implant tissue plaque of peri-implantitis sites and suggests a possible active pathogenic role of the viruses in peri-implantitis.