Prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in dental prostheses at Zawia private clinics

Purpose:
The oral cavity’s dental prosthesis may serve as a reservoir for bacteria that are connected to systemic infections. For this purpose, this study aimed to investigate and identify the bacteria pathogenic strains in the oral cavity and their prevalence in dentures, fixed prosthodontics, and orthodontic appliances wearers.

Materials and Methods: 
One hundred samples of swabs were collected from private dental clinics in Zawia, Libya. These samples were taken from male and female patients who wear dental prosthesis. The swabs were cultured, and the bacterial strains were identified.

Results:
Forty-three percent of samples were pathogenic, which showed the following strains: K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, E. cloacae, P. aeruginosa, Pneumococcus, E. coli, A. bumanii, and S. pyogenes strains were found, and they were in males more than females. Moreover, the results showed that most of these strains existed on orthodontic appliances..

Conclusion:
The prevalence of oral pathogens is higher in males than females (50% and 38.7%, respectively). Most pathogenic bacteria were found on the surface of orthodontic appliances more than the other dental prosthesis. (Open J Biomed Res 2023;2:3-7.)