Zhou X, Wang J, Liu W, et al. - This study was attempted to assess the clinical periodontal status and microbiologic pathogens in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and periodontitis. Researchers performed a case-control study of 60 periodontitis patients with COPD (case group) and 60 periodontitis patients with normal pulmonary function (control group). They applied real-time polymerase chain reaction assays to assess five dental pathogens and four respiratory pathogens in subgingival dental plaque. The data from this study do not demonstrate periodontal pathogens as potential predictors of COPD risk, despite significantly poor periodontal status associated with COPD.