title: Do periodontopathogens disappear after full-mouth tooth extraction?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To monitor the intra-oral microbiological changes after full-mouth extraction using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine patients with severe, aggressive periodontitis, for whom a full-mouth tooth extraction was the only remaining treatment option were recruited. Before and 6 months after extraction, microbial samples were obtained (tongue, saliva and subgingival plaque) and analysed by qPCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The elimination of subgingival niches, by extraction of all natural teeth, resulted in a 3-log reduction of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia, and more modest reductions of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia. However, the detection frequencies of these periodontopathogens in saliva and on the tongue remained unchanged after full-mouth tooth extraction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to what has been believed so far, full-mouth tooth extraction does not result in eradication of all periodontopathogens but only in a significant reduction. The clinical consequences of this observation remain speculative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Catholic University Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. nele.vanassche@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Assche
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Essche
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pauwels
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Teughels
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quirynen
mesh_terms: D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000075202:Contraindications; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D015921:Dental Implants; D006801:Humans; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000382:microbiology*; D014081:Tooth Extraction
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D015921:Dental Implants