title: Juvenile periodontitis--a new perspective.
abstract: Juvenile periodontitis (JP) is a severe disease of the periodontium in adolescents. It is usually localized to the first permanent molars and (less commonly) the central incisors. The bacteria Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) is currently implicated in the aetiology of JP since its numbers are high in JP pockets and low in subjects with healthy periodontal conditions or with adult periodontitis. However, Aa harvested from JP pockets and transferred to healthy sites in the same mouth are unable to colonize these areas or initiate disease (17). The conflicting evidence implicating intrinsic or induced impairment of host defence is reviewed. It is hypothesised that JP lesions are primarily of endodontic origin. By-products of an inflammatory process in the pulp enter the periodontium via dentinal tubules, lateral or furcation canals and drain through the periodontium into the mouth. The environmental conditions of the sinus select for bacteria such as Aa which secondarily infect the site and exacerbate the clinical situation by their potent virulence factors. Localized deep defects involving only one side of an interproximal space in an otherwise periodontally healthy mouth result. Studies of the pulpal status of JP teeth are indicated.
mesh_terms: D000188:Actinobacillus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000293:Adolescent; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy