Molecular Detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcometans and Porphyromonas gingivalis in Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Background: Children having cleft lip and palate (CLP) are predisposed to periodontal disease because of the anatomical and functional changes which predispose to plaque deposition and dysbiosis of microbes. Nonetheless, little is known about the molecular evidence of early colonization of crucial periodontal pathogens in this group of individuals. Objective: To identify Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis in children with CLP and to assess the relationship between them and their demographic, cleft-related, and periodontal clinical characteristics. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study involving 110 children between the ages of 6–15 years of age with confirmed CLP. The subgingival plaque samples were obtained and analyzed by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Clinical periodontal parameters were noted and the relationship between pathogen detection and clinical variables were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis were found in 47.3% and 35.4% of the participants and both Porphyromonas and Aggregatibacter were co-colonized in 21.8%. There was a high age dependency and the highest prevalence of the pathogens was observed in children with both cleft lip and palate. The conditions of dual colonization were linked to much greater plaque index, gingival inflammation, and probing depth values (p < 0.001). Combined CLP phenotype, age 12 years and moderate-high accumulation of plaque were found to be independent predictors of detection of pathogens. Conclusion: Cleft lip and palate children exhibit early and recurrent colonization by major periodontal infections particularly in the presence of higher levels of the plaque and more extreme cleft morphology. Preventative intervention (in the form of early PCR-based screening of microbes) incorporated into multidisciplinary cleft treatment could offer specific preventive treatments and decrease long-term periodontal morbidity in this population at risk.