## 3 Results  
A total of 20 individuals with ages ranging from 26 to 86 years (mean = 52.25; \(SD\) = 15.1), 70% of whom were female (\(n\) = 14) with a mean age = 53.57, and 30% of whom were male (\(n\) = 6) with a mean age = 49.16, agreed to participate in this study. The demographic characteristics, clinical parameters of the study population and collection sites are presented in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. The analysed data regarding oral hygiene habits showed that 65% (\(n\) = 13) brushed their teeth twice a day, with the majority, 85% (\(n\) = 17), not using dental floss and 70% (\(n\) = 14) not using an irrigator. Regarding smoking habits, 90% (\(n\) = 18) were non-smokers, while the remaining 10% (\(n\) = 2) had this habit. A total of 90% of the patients (\(n\) = 18) did not have removable prostheses, while 10% (\(n\) = 2) did. As for the presence of endodontic treatment, 80% (\(n\) = 16) had one or more treated teeth. The study population included 25% (\(n\) = 5) of patients with edentulous maxillae rehabilitated with prostheses supported by internal connection implants, 25% (\(n\) = 5) with single-unit Cone morse connection implants, 20% (\(n\) = 4) with single-unit internal connection implants, 15% (\(n\) = 3) with single-unit external connection implants and 10% (\(n\) = 2) rehabilitated with pontics up to three elements with an internal connection, while 5% (\(n\) = 1) were Cone morse implants. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **Sampling** & \(n\) & _Median (IQR)_ & \(p\) \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{_E. faecalis_} & Tooth & 14 & \(1.00\times 10^{7}\) [\(1.00\times 10^{6};3.25\times 10^{7}\)] & \\ \cline{2-5}  & Implant & 20 & \(1.00\times 10^{7}\) [\(1.00\times 10^{6};7.75\times 10^{7}\)] & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{_Candida_ spp.} & Tooth & 6 & \(5.00\times 10^{5}\) [\(18.75;2.58\times 10^{7}\)]. & \\ \cline{2-5}  & Implant & 6 & \(1.00\times 10^{7}\) [\(7.75\times 10^{6};1.00\times 10^{7}\)] & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{_P. aeruginosa_} & Tooth & 2 & 55,000,000.0 [\(1.00^{*}10^{7}\)] & \\ \cline{2-5}  & Implant & 5 & \(1.00\times 10^{7}\) [\(64.5;1.00\times 10^{8}\)] & \\ \hline \end{tabular} Summary data as median and interquartile range (IQR): \(p\)-value derived from Mann-Whitney test.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Comparison of CFU/mL of different microorganisms according to the sampling site. For all positive cases of _E. faecalis_, _Candida_ spp. and _P. aeruginosa_, their relationship with the periodontal and peri-implant diagnosis was analysed through the following graphs, which showed a higher presence of these three opportunistic pathogens in both periodontal and peri-implant disease (Figure 2). All positive cases for the three microorganisms mostly had a diagnosis of periodontal and peri-implant disease. When comparing the presence of microorganisms according to the sampling site (peri-implant or periodontal subgingival plaque--Table 1), it was observed that _E. faecalis_ had equal median values of CFU/mL in the adjacent tooth and the implant, although the values in the implant showed greater variability. _Candida_ spp. had higher median values in the implant (1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{7}\) [1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{6}\);77,500,000.0]), compared to the adjacent tooth (500,040.0 [18.75; 25,750,000.0]), but these differences were not statistically significant. _P. aeruginosa_ also showed a higher CFU/mL in the peri-implant compared to \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline  & **Endodontic** & \(n\) & _Median (IQR)_ & \(p\) \\ \hline _E. faecalis_ & Yes & 15 & 1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{7}\) [1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{6}\); 1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{8}\)] & 0.214 \\ No & 5 & 1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{6}\) [1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{6}\); 1.00 \(\times\) 10\({}^{7}\)] & 0.214 \\ \hline \end{tabular} Summary data include median and interquartile range (IQR); \(p\)-value derived from the Mann–Whitney test.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Comparison of _E. faecalis_ CFU/mL according to the presence or absence of endodontic treatment. Figure 1: Individual results for _E.