Prevalence of HSV-1 Virus in Periodontal Pockets in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis in Qom, Iran

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting tissues that is caused by specific microorganisms, which results in degeneration of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone and causes gingival recession. In recent years some evidence has emerged on the relationship between human herpes virus and periodontal diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of HSV-1 virus in periodontal pockets of subjects with chronic periodontitis in Qom, Iran. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 92 subjects with chronic periodontitis were collected from Hakim and Ali-ibn Abi-Talib Clinics in Qom in 2016-17. Real-time PCR technique was used to evaluate HSV-1 infection of patient samples. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20 in terms of the relationship between age, sex and intensity of chronic periodontitis and the incidence of HSV (α = 0.05). In this study, three cases (3.3%) of HSV were found in subjects with chronic periodontitis. There was no relationship between chronic periodontitis, age and sex and HSV-1. The results of this study suggest further screening techniques and more accurate techniques to detect HSV-1 and larger sample sizes to clarify the role of HSV-1 in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis.