The detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in the supragingival plaque of children with and without caries.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was undertaken to determine the presence of 3 periodontopathic bacteria in the supragingival plaques of 3- to 16-year-old children with different oral health conditions.


METHODS
DMFT and dft, PMA index (P=papillary gingivitis, M=marginal gingivitis, and A=attached gingivitis), OHI (oral hygiene index), and oral malodor of each subject were determined prior to the collection of supragingival plaques. Periodontopathic bacteria (P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and A. actinomycetemcomitans) in supragingival plaques were detected using an immunoslot blot assay with monoclonal 3 periodontopathic bacteria in the 2 subject groups (children with and without caries). P. gingivalis-positive subjects, but not their P. intermedia or A. actinomycetemcomitans counterparts, were correlated to oral malodor. Oral malodor was also correlated to debris index, a component of OHI.


RESULTS
The group with the higher OHI showed a higher prevalence of periodontopathic bacteria. For the 3 periodontopathic bacteria in the subjects tested, P. gingivalis-, P. intermedia-, and A. actinomycetemcomitans-positive plaques were not age related.


CONCLUSIONS
The supragingival plaques in children can harbor periodontopathic bacteria such as P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and A. actinomycetemcomitans.
Department of Oral Diagnosis, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama, Japan.
Shoji
S
Tanaka
Yukio
Y
Murakami
Kazuhito
K
Seto
Kazunori
K
Takamori
Mikako
M
Yosida
Kuniyasu
K
Ochiai
Sigeru
S
Watanabe
Seiichiro
S
Fujisawa
D000293:Adolescent; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006209:Halitosis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000302:isolation & purification*