Detection of Helicobacter pylori in dental prostheses and biofilm formation: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the presence of H. pylori on the internal surfaces of fixed dental prostheses and to evaluate its biofilm-forming capacity on various dental prosthetic materials. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 dental prosthesis samples were used in the study. In the first phase, samples collected from the internal surfaces of the prostheses were analyzed for the presence of H. pylori using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the second phase, the biofilm-forming ability of H. pylori was assessed on several dental materials including dental ceramics, titanium, chrome-cobalt, chrome-nickel, zirconium, acrylic, and polystyrene (as control) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a study-specific scoring system. Results: PCR analysis revealed that H. pylori was present in 19 (9.5%) of dental prosthesis samples, indicating that the bacterium can colonize dental prostheses. A positive correlation was found between H. pylori detection and the duration of prosthesis use. H. pylori positivity was 6.7% in symptomatic patients and 10% in asymptomatic patients, with no statistically significant difference between groups. SEM analysis showed that H. pylori formed biofilms on all tested materials, with the highest densities observed on dental ceramics (score 5) and titanium (score 4). Conclusion: The findings indicate that fixed dental prostheses may serve as a potential reservoir for H. pylori and this possibility should be considered as potentially contributing to reinfection or treatment failure.