Correlation of the periodonta1 status 6 years after puberty with clinical and microbiological conditions during puberty
The aim of this study was to assess the oral clinical and microbiological status of young adults six years after puberty and to compare these findings with the conditions observed during puberty. Forty-two subjects were followed through puberty in the four-year longitudinal study; 33 individuals were reexamined 10 years after the start of the monitoring. Microbiology study included two subgingival samples per subject taken from the mesiobuccal of the upper first molars. The participants were divided into three groups: Group A, marked and sustained increase in full-mouth PBI score during puberty; group B, visible but less pronounced puberty gingivitis; and Group C, mean PBI score not exceeding 1.5 curing puberty. The results showed that group A differed six years later from group C in several aspects. The subjects in group A had significantly higher gingival bleeding and increased sites with more than 3 mm attachment loss. The subjects in group C showed lowest counts of anaerobic bacteria. Spirochetes were detected only in group A subjects. A. actinomycetemcomitans was present in one subject of group A. P.gingivalis had not been detected during puberty. This prospective analysis revealed a significant relationship between the severity of puberty gingivitis and periodontal and microbiological condition six years after puberty. [S.L.]
Mombelli,A.,A. Rutar, and N.P. Lang J Clin Periodont, 22:300, 1995