Detection of Helicobacter pylori in dental plaque of Mexican children by real-time PCR

Dental plaque in adult patients is well identified as a\r\nreservoir for Helicobacter pylori. This\r\nquestion still remains unclear in children. The aim of this study is to\r\nidentify the presence of this bacterium in dental plaque of Mexican pediatric\r\npatients, using Real Time Polymerase Chain\r\nReaction (qPCR). Forty patients from 2 to 11 years without dyspeptic\r\nsymptoms were enrolled. Samples were collected from the subgingival space of\r\nthe lingual side of the lower molars and cultured in selective medium. Therefore, qPCR analysis was conducted. According to\r\nthe results obtained in this study, it was found that 35% of the pediatric population who participated tested qPCR positive for the presence of H. pylori in dental plaque samples. No significant\r\nassociations were detected among isolation\r\nrate by gender or age. We found that dental plaque may be a reservoir for H. pylori. However, more research is needed to establish the way of the\r\ninfection of pediatric population.