Prevalence of β‐lactamase‐producing bacteria in human periodontitis

Abstract

The occurrence of β-lactamase-positive subgingival bacterial species in more than half of the subjects with severe chronic periodontitis raises questions about the therapeutic potential of single-drug regimens with β-lactam antibiotics in periodontal therapy. The in vitro effectiveness of metronidazole against nearly all recovered β-lactamase-producing subgingival bacterial species further supports clinical periodontitis treatment strategies involving the combination of systemic amoxicillin plus metronidazole.