the comparison of entamoeba gingivalis presence in healthy and periodontitis patients by using direct examination and pcr methods

background: the most frequent protozoan in the buccal cavity is entamoeba gingivalis and more than 50% of the world population are infected with it. the exact role of e. gingivalis in periodontal diseases remains uncertain. objectives: this cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to compare the presence of e. gingivalis in healthy individuals and patients. methods: twentyfive patients with periodontitis and 25 healthy controls were selected and their saliva and plaque samples were examined by microscopy and pcr methods. results: only 3 out of the 25 patient samples were positive in microscopy examination, and four patient and two control group samples were positive in the pcr technique. there were no significant differences between the two groups (p >0.05) using chisquare test. conclusions: in the current study, e. gingivalis was not found to cause periodontal diseases. studies with larger sample sizes are required to define the exact pathogenic role of e. gingivalis.