Topographic distribution of subgingival plaque along root surface of human periodontally diseased teeth
This study demonstrated the topographic distribution and arrangement of subgingival plaque in periodontally diseased and nondiseased teeth. The materials and methods used were 26 periodontally diseased, caries-free teeth and, for control, three periodontally healthy teeth. The inclusion criteria used were no history of systemic illnesses, no systemic antibiotic use for six months prior to extraction, and no supra- or subgingival scaling, root planing, and probing performed one year prior to extraction. Periodontally diseased teeth were defined as 70% bone loss observed radiographically. Teeth were extracted with forceps using only vertical movement. The results demonstrated the periodontally healthy teeth had ligament fibers surrounding all surfaces and no perceivable bacterial colonization on any of the surfaces. The periodontally diseased teeth demonstrated bacterial plaque on the coronal third, composed of filaments, fusiform rods, cocci forms, and loosely aggregated spirochetes, arranged perpendicular to the long axis of the teeth and present in some specimens in the middle and apical thirds. The soft tissue of the pockets was infiltrated by microorganisms nonuniformly. The microorganisms included filaments, rods, fusiforms, and spirochetes. The study was able to show periodontal ligament fibers coronal to clusters of plaque and was able to demonstrate horizontal spread of the bacterial flora along the periodontal pocket. [A.S.]
Crespi R., U. Covani, J.E. Margarone, and S. Andrena, J Clin Periodont, 23:698, 1996