Tannerella Forsythia in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma - An Exploratory Study

Background: While no single species has been implicated as the primary pathogen and the available evidence is consistent with a polymicrobial disease etiology, the red-complex bacteria consisting of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia has been strongly implicated in the onset of periodontitis a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth in the oral cavity. Chronic inflammation is believed to act as catalyst for tumour development and progression. Objective: To study the presence of Tannerella forsythia in the tissue samples oforal squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (n= 30) and oral mucosal non-cancerous tissue specimens (n=30) were obtained from patients and controls separately. RNA was isolated from each aseptically deliquesced tissue specimen and transformed to cDNA using the Trizol technique. Specific gene amplification of Tannerella forsythia was done byusing synthesized cDNA as template for PCR reaction. Results: Tannerella forsythia was detected in 5 oral squamous cell carcinoma tissuesamples and was not found in any of the control tissue samples. Conclusion: Tannerella forsythia could play a role in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.