Western Society of Periodontics

Clinical Studies

Volume Number 3, 1995

Microbiological features of gingivitis in pubertal children

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in subgingival flora between pubertal children and young adults with gingivitis, and to examine the relationship between the microbial features and the clinical condition. Forty-three junior high school students and 18 dental students were enrolled in the study. The subgingival plaque was removed and was analyzed by anaerobic culture and phase contrast microscopy. The results showed that motile rods, spirochetes, and P. intermedia were elevated in pubertal children with gingivitis. No statistically significant differences were observed between pubertal children and young adults. These organisms were correlated with the index of bleeding on probing and the gingival index of pubertal children. Three clusters of subjects were examined according to the similarity of subgingival microbial feature. The proportion of motile rods, P. intermedia, and Eikenella corrodens was significantly higher in cluster 2 than in cluster 1. The two species and motile rods extracted by cluster analysis are candidates to predict the progression of gingivitis and to screen high-risk subjects. [S.L.]