title: Prevalence of suspected periodontal pathogens identified using ELISA in adolescents of differing ethnic origins.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia in a group of adolescents and investigate the association of these organisms with various clinical parameters. A total of 527, 11-13-year-old children, of whom 333 (63%) were white Caucasian, 187 (35%) Indo-Pakistani and 7 (1%) Afro-Caribbean, participated in the study. Subgingival plaque samples, collected from the mesio-buccal of both upper first permanent molars using sterile paper points, were stored in phosphate buffered saline with 0.01% thiomersal and analysed for the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis and P. intermedia using ELISA. The mesio-buccal sites of both upper 1st permanent molars were also examined and the presence/absence of supragingival plaque, subgingival calculus, bleeding on probing and pocket depths greater than 3 mm were recorded. The % of white Caucasian children in whom the monoclonal antibody identified at least 1 site with A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis and P. intermedia were 4%, 3% and 2%, respectively, and for Indo-Pakistanis were 3%, 17% and 2%. The difference for P. gingivalis was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The associations between the clinical parameters and the 3 organisms were considered separately for both upper first molar sites. The prevalence of P. gingivalis was higher for sites with subgingival calculus, pockets > 3 mm and bleeding on probing (p < 0.01).
authors.affiliation: Dental Health Unit, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ellwood
authors.forename: H V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Worthington
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Cullinan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamlet
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Clerehugh
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044383:Black People; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000208:ethnology / Q000382:microbiology; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000208:ethnology / Q000382:microbiology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004739:England; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005006:Ethnicity; D005881:Gingiva; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000208:ethnology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008963:Molar / Q000382:microbiology; D010154:Pakistan / Q000208:ethnology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000208:ethnology / Q000382:microbiology; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044465:White People