Background:

Some prospective studies have observed associations between periodontal disease and breast cancer. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the composition of the subgingival biofilm of women diagnosed with breast cancer, who also presented with chronic periodontitis.

Methods:

All subjects underwent clinical and microbiological assessment. Subgingival biofilm samples were taken from at least three sites of 44 women who had breast cancer. The mean levels and proportions of 40 bacterial species were determined by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. Spearman correlation was used to assess possible associations between the mean levels of bacterial species and clinical conditions.

Results:

The five species found at the highest levels were Prevotella nigrescens, Actinomyces gerencseriae, Neisseria mucosa, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia. The species detected in the lowest counts were Propionibacterium acnes, Streptococcus constellatus, Streptococcus intermedius, Eubacterium saburreum and Streptococcus anginosus. No significant association between levels and proportion of bacterial species and clinical parameters were found.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the results of the present study found no direct association between the subgingival microbiota and breast cancer and an indirect pathway should be addressed in further studies.