At present, information regarding periodontal disease in geriatric patients is scarce. The purpose of this study was to quantify the periodontal pathogens present in the saliva of Korean geriatric patients and assess the relationship between the bacterial levels and the periodontal condition.

Six putative periodontal pathogens were quantified by using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay in geriatric patient groups (>60 years) with mild chronic periodontitis (MCP), moderate chronic periodontitis (MoCP), and severe chronic periodontitis (SCP). The copy numbers of Porphyromonas gingivalis , Tannerella forsythia , Treponema denticola , Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans , Fusobacterium nucleatum , and Prevotella intermedia were measured.

It was found that the bacterial copy numbers increased as the severity of the disease increased from MCP to SCP, except for P. intermedia . For P. intermedia , it was found that samples in the MCP group yielded the largest amount. It was also found that the quantities of P. gingivalis , T. forsythia , and T. denticola , the so-called "red complex" bacteria, were lower than those of F. nucleatum , A. actinomycetemcomitans , and P. intermedia in all of the samples.

Collectively, the results of this study suggest that the levels of P. gingivalis , T. forsythia , F. nucleatum , and T. denticola present in saliva are associated with the severity of periodontal disease in geriatric patients.