Pericoronitis and tonsillitis: clinical and darkfield microscopy findings.
OBJECTIVE
Upper respiratory tract infections and tonsillitis and pharyngitis in particular increase the risk of lower third molar pericoronitis. The study was made to investigate clinical and microbiologic associations between pericoronitis and tonsillitis.


METHODS
The subjects were 20-year-old Finnish male conscripts. Thirty-eight patients had tonsillitis without and 33 patients had tonsillitis with a symptom-free erupting lower third molar; 27 patients had pericoronitis but healthy tonsils. All subjects were examined clinically. Bacterial samples were taken from healthy and diseased tonsils and from healthy and diseased third molar pericoronal pockets. The microbes were classified morphologically with the use of a darkfield microscope.


RESULTS
Eighty-two percent of infected tonsils had deep crypts and 52% of them exudated pus compared with 36% (p < 0.001) and 0% (p < 0.001) in healthy tonsils, respectively. Infected lower third molars were less than half erupted and had on average 8.8 mm deep pericoronal pockets compared with pockets 5.5 mm deep recorded in symptom-free cases (p < 0.001). Spirochetes were more common in infected pockets than in symptom-free cases comprising 8.2% versus 3.0% of the total bacterial count (p = 0.044). Rods were more common in infected tonsils than healthy ones (8.9% versus 4.8%, p = 0.041).


CONCLUSIONS
There were similarities in morphologic microbiota of pericoronitis and tonsillitis. However, clinical findings of tonsils did not appear to link with the findings of third molars.
Rajasuo
A
A
Valkeala Military Hospital, Finnish Defence Forces, Helsinki, Finland.
Leppänen
J
J
Savolainen
S
S
Meurman
J H
JH
D000328:Adult; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006089:Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D008964:Molar, Third; D010497:Pericoronitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000382:microbiology; D013144:Spirochaetales / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology