The predominant cultivable microbiota of active and inactive lesions of destructive periodontal diseases

TLDR

Active periodontal disease sites were defined as those with significant attachment loss over a 2‑month period measured by the tolerance method. Subgingival plaque from 33 patients with active destructive periodontal disease was sampled at active and inactive lesions, and the predominant cultivable species from 100 active sites were compared to those from 150 inactive sites of similar pocket depth and attachment loss. Active sites were enriched for *W.

Abstract

Abstract Subgingival plaque samples were taken from active and inactive lesions in 33 subjects exhibiting active destructive periodontal diseases. Active diseased sites were those which showed a significant loss of attachment within a 2‐month interval as computed by the “tolerance method”. The predominant cultivable species from 100 active sites were compared with those found in 150 inactive sites of comparable pocket depth and attachment level loss. Among the 33 subjects, W. recta, B. intermedius, F. nucleatum, B. gingivalis and B. forsythus were elevated more often in active sites; whereas, S. mitis, C. ochracea, S. sanguis II, V. parvula and an unnamed Actinomyees sp. were elevated in inactive sites. The likelihood of a site being active was increased if B. forsythus, B. gingivalis, P. micros, A. actinomycetemcomitans, W. recta , or B. intermedius were detected in that site, and decreased if S. sanguis II, the Actinomyces sp., or C. ochracea were detected.