title: Microscopic spirochete counts in untreated subjects with and without periodontal tissue destruction.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine microscopically the %s of spirochetes at sites without periodontal destruction in subjects with destructive periodontal diseases (cases) and in subjects free of it (controls), who had not received professional prophylaxis. From a sample of 164 individuals aged between 30-44 years living in rural and urban areas of Tanzania, cases and controls were selected. Cases (n = 25) were selected who exhibited at least 3 teeth with pocket depth of > 5 mm. The controls (n = 28) had no pockets deeper than 3 mm. From each subject, 1 subgingival plaque sample was taken at the mid point of the lingual surface of 1 of the upper premolars which showed bleeding on probing but no calculus and no pockets. In addition, one subgingival sample was obtained from a pocket. Pockets contained the highest %s of spirochetes, which confirms earlier findings. A significant difference in % of spirochetes between cases and controls was found at non-destructive sites, indicating a host effect on the subgingival microflora. However, the spirochete counts at non-destructive sites did not provide a reliable measure to identify subjects with destructive periodontal disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lembariti
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Mikx
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: van Palenstein Helderman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000382:microbiology; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000382:microbiology; D010519:Periodontium / Q000382:microbiology*; D011336:Probability; D012423:Rural Health; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013144:Spirochaetales / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013636:Tanzania; D014504:Urban Health