title: Disease severity associated with presence in subgingival plaque of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Tannerella forsythia, singly or in combination, as detected by nested multiplex PCR.
abstract: This study used a nested multiplex PCR method to detect three periodontal pathogens in subgingival plaque collected before treatment and at 2 and 6 months posttreatment from 107 patients with severe, generalized periodontitis. The proportions of the patients who harbored these bacteria before periodontal treatment were as follows: Tannerella forsythia, 81%; Porphyromonas gingivalis, 78%; and Aggregatibacter (formerly Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans, 47%. At 2 months posttreatment there was a significant reduction in the numbers of patients harboring P. gingivalis (46%; P < 0.001) or T. forsythia (63%; P = 0.043) but not A. actinomycetemcomitans (50%) compared to pretreatment data. At 6 months posttreatment, significantly fewer patients harbored P. gingivalis (43%; P < 0.001); A. actinomycetemcomitans, (31%; P = 0.025), or T. forsythia (63%; P = 0.030). Interestingly, at baseline and at 2 months posttherapy, subjects who harbored only a single pathogen had a greater level of periodontal disease than subjects who harbored two, or all three, of these periodontal pathogens. These data suggest that a reduction in the number of species present may be associated with an increase in the severity of periodontal diseases.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Diseases, Eastman Dental Hospital, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD, United Kingdom. d.ready@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ready
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Aiuto
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Spratt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suvan
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tonetti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D006470:Hemorrhage; D006801:Humans; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000473:pathology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index