Well-done experiment comparing the predominant cultivable microflora of intra-patient diseased sites vs. non-diseased sites in patients diagnosed as having juvenile periodontitis. 8 patients. Diseased ("test") sites were „7 mm attachment loss as measured form the CEJ and non-diseased ("control") sites had no bone loss and a sulcus depth of ¾3 mm. Samples were taken from the base of the pockets by making an incision 1 cm apical to the base of the pocket and reflecting the flap in a coronal direction, thus exposing the defect. (see Fig. 1) The sampling and processing were conducted under anaerobic conditions utilizing an anaerobic gas flush. The plaque samples were processed and tested to identify the various types of bacteria and also to quantify their numbers so as to compare qualitatively and quantitatively the cultivable microflora in the diseased vs. the non-diseased site in the same patient. The microflora from the control sites consisted primarily of streptococci, Gram-negative rods, and Gram-positive rods. There was a relatively stable and characteristic microflora associated with the diseased pockets which consisted of various Gram-negative anaerobic rods. The predominating Gram-negative rods differed from individual to individual, but results indicated that the same Gram-negative rods predominated in the diseased and the healthy sites within the same patient. Gram-negative anaerobic rods averaged 59.2% fro the diseased sites. Gram-negative micro-aerophilic or facultative anaerobic rods constituted 4.5% in these diseased sites. (For a total of 63.7%.) The contrasting total for these categories in the healthy sites was 35.8%. A large part of the 148 strains of Gram-negative anaerobic rods examined fit the descriptions for Bacteroides oralis, B. fragilis, B. corrodens, B. ochraceus, and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Gram-positive cocci were only a minor part of the diseased or the healthy sites. Gram-positive anaerobic rods averaged 15.3% of the diseased pocket population and 7.3% of the healthy site population. Gram-positive cocci averaged 6.1% and 4.3% of the diseased and healthy sites. Gram-positive facultative anaerobes averaged 37.2% of the isolates from healthy sites and were the largest bacterial group recognized in the healthy sites. This group constituted only 10.2% of the isolates from the diseased sites. The role of the Gram-negative anaerobes in the etiology of juvenile periodontitis was not known, but potential immunopathologic mechanisms were discussed.
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