title: Treatment of juvenile periodontitis without antibiotics. A follow-up study.
abstract: 20 patients with juvenile periodontitis (JP) were treated with oral hygiene instruction, scaling and root planing, possibly with flap surgery but with no antibiotics. The patients were monitored after 6 to 12 years. Re-examination revealed that no probing depth of 7 mm or more existed any longer, and that sites with probing depth of 4 to 6 mm had decreased from 237 to 46. The bone loss scores had changed from 18% (range 2.0 to 48.1) to 14% (range 0 to 44.4) and the bleeding on probing scores from 39% (range 0 to 100) to 10% (range 0 to 40). Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) had neither been cultivated nor serologically tested at the initial examination. At the re-examination, it was found in 2 patients out of 20 at 5 sites. 7 patients, the 2 with positive cultures included, had elevated titers to A.a. strain Y4 in whole or parotid saliva or both. It is concluded that there is a marked improvement in the periodontal condition of these patients, and that good periodontal health in patients with JP can be reached without antibiotics.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012534:Dental Scaling; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000601:surgery