title: Relationship of sulcular sulfide level to severity of periodontal disease and BANA test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), such as hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, are toxic metabolites produced by periodontal pathogens. Their relationship to periodontal disease severity is not yet fully understood. Hence, the aims of this study were to: 1) examine the relationship between sulcular sulfide (pS) levels and severity of periodontal disease and 2) examine the link between pS level and the BANA (benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide) test.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy systemically healthy subjects with a mean age of 53.0 +/- 13.8 years participated. Three sites were selected from each subject based upon radiographic bone loss (RBL): RBL < 2 mm, healthy; RBL > or = 2 to < 4, low to moderate; RBL > or = 4 mm, severe. Periodontal parameters, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP), were recorded. The pS level was measured using a portable sulfide monitor in a digital score ranging from 0.0 (< 10(-7) M of S) to 5.0 (> or = 10(-2) M of S) in increments of 0.5. The presence of specific bacteria in subgingival plaque was detected using BANA test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean pS level was 0.10 +/- 0.23, 0.36 +/- 0.48, and 1.10 +/- 0.87 for healthy, low to moderate, and severe disease sites, respectively, and was statistically different (P<0.001). The pS level was positively correlated with the BANA test, and was higher in untreated subjects than maintenance subjects (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pS level may be a potential indicator for detecting severity of periodontal disease and identifying bacteria that are capable of hydrolyzing BANA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry, Okayama University Dental School, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000145:classification; D001587:Benzoylarginine-2-Naphthylamide; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000145:classification; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000145:classification* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000378:metabolism*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000145:classification; D011859:Radiography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013440:Sulfides / Q000032:analysis*; D014208:Treponema / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D013440:Sulfides; D001587:Benzoylarginine-2-Naphthylamide