Assessment of Oral Bacterial Profile and Antibiogram of Patients Attending Dental Clinic of a Private Tertiary Hospital in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Oral and dental problem is common among many Nigerian populace. The human oral cavity is one of the most dynamic habitats for numerous bacterial species where they undergo intense interspecies competition to form multispecies biofilm structure. Aim: The present study was designed to assess the oral bacterial profile and antibiogram of Adult Patients receiving dental care at Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ilishan-Remo Ogun State. Methods: A total of 200 oral swab samples were collected from 200 consenting participants (100 males and 100 females). The oral swab samples were cultured on Blood agar, MacConkey agar and Mannitol salt agar and incubated at 37oC. Gram staining, motility test and routine biochemical tests were done for the identification and characterization of the bacterial isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS Statistics software package (version 18.0). Results: The bacterial species isolated include: Streptococcus viridans, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter spp, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus feacalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Out of the 288 bacterial isolates obtained, 139 (65.5%) of the oral bacteria isolates were non-pathogenic in nature, while 69 (34.5%) were pathogenic. The pathogenic organism with the highest percentage occurrence was Enterobacter spp (37.7%), followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (24.6%), Enterococcus feacalis (19.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (4.9%) and the least being Escherichia coli (3.3%). Most of the Gram positive bacteria were sensitive to Augmentin, Sulbactomas, Cefroxime, Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Erythromycin and Azithromycin; while most of the Gram negative bacteria were sensitive to Augumentin, Cefotaxime, Nalidixic acid, Nitrofurantoin and Gentamycin. Conclusion: Pathogenic bacteria capable of causing oral and dental problems exist in the oral cavity of Patients receiving dental care at BUTH with varied antibiotic susceptibility patterns. The outcome of this study underscored the importance of routine oral/dental checks, adequate oral/dental care and treatment of oral infection with appropriate antibiotics.