BackgroundGeneralized aggressive periodontitis (GAP) is a multifactorial disease that shows a specific microbial profile and a familial aggregation.AimThis study evaluated the salivary microbial profile of families with a history of GAP and compared them with healthy families.DesignFifteen families with parents presenting periodontal health and 15 with parents with a history of GAP were selected. Each family had a child aged 6–12 years. Stimulated saliva was collected from all subjects, and Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Tannerella forsythia (Tf), and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) amounts were determined.ResultsChildren of GAP families showed higher detection of Aa (90%) than children of healthy families (45%) (P < 0.05). Parents with GAP showed a Pg salivary concentration statistically higher than that of healthy parents (P < 0.05).Children of GAP families, however, exhibited similar Pg concentration than healthy children (P > 0.05). Tf amounts did not differ either in parents or in children (P > 0.05) The infection risk calculation indicates that children who have one parent who is positive for Aa have 16.3 times (95% CI 3.1–87.2) more risk of being infected with Aa (P < 0.05) than children from an Aa‐negative family.ConclusionIt may be concluded that children of parents with aggressive periodontitis have higher levels and higher risk of Aa infection.