Third molars and the efficacy of mechanical debridement in reducing pathogen levels in pregnant subjects: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of mechanical debridement (scaling and root planing), without adjunctive therapy, on reducing the numbers of periodontal pathogens detected in pregnant subjects with and without visible third molars.


METHODS
Sixty-seven subjects in the second trimester of pregnancy were enrolled in an institutional review board-approved study. Full mouth periodontal exams of all teeth were conducted at baseline and postpartum. Presence or absence of third molars was noted. Subgingival biofilm samples were obtained from the mesiobuccal of all first molars at enrollment and postpartum. Subjects' total counts for periodontal pathogens in biofilm samples were determined by DNA-DNA checkerboard hybridization. We analyzed data from a subsample of 26 subjects. All subjects in the study were treated at enrollment by mechanical debridement of all teeth, including third molars. Differences between subjects' baseline and postpartum demographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed by chi(2) and t tests by presence or absence of third molars. Statistical significance for differences in pathogen levels was determined by Rank analysis of covariance. Significance was set at 0.05 without correction for multiple comparisons.


RESULTS
Most of the 26 subjects were African American (61%), on Medicaid (92%), and did not smoke during pregnancy (88%). The 15 subjects with visible third molars were significantly older (28.0 years [SD 6.4] vs 23.7 years [SD 3.9]). In the 11 subjects with no third molars noted, all pathogen counts were reduced postpartum. In the 15 subjects with visible third molars, total counts for each pathogen analyzed were higher postpartum as compared with subjects with no visible third molars, and their bacterial counts were increased for 5 of the 8 pathogens, including all "red cluster" pathogens. Differences between study groups were observed by the presence or absence of third molars for T. forsythia and P. nigrescens (P = .04), and for P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum, total "orange cluster" bacteria, and total pathogens (P < .06).


CONCLUSIONS
The efficacy of mechanical debridement to lower periodontal pathogen counts during pregnancy was limited by the presence of visible third molars and should be analyzed further in larger scale trials.
Moss
Kevin L
KL
Department of Dental Ecology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Serlo
Adam D
AD
Offenbacher
Steven
S
Beck
James D
JD
White
Raymond P
RP
D000328:Adult; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018441:Biofilms; D044883:Campylobacter rectus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D012534:Dental Scaling; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000032:analysis; D008963:Molar / Q000382:microbiology; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000382:microbiology*; D010519:Periodontium / Q000382:microbiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D045242:Prevotella nigrescens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016745:Root Planing; D048373:Treponema denticola / Q000302:isolation & purification
D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015232:Dinoprostone