Effect of periodontal therapy on sulcular sulphide level a longitudinal study

The identification of active disease sites is a leading goal in basic periodontal research. Of toxic bacterial metabolites detectable in gingival crevicular fluid, volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) have been implicated in periodontal tissue destruction. Several bacteria associated with active destructive disease are capable of producing VSC, this fact supporting the idea of sulcular VSC being a possible marker of disease activity. A new portable sulphide monitor providing chairside information on sulcular sulphide level (SU) has been developed. The aim of this study was 1) to monitor the effect of mechanical therapy on SU and clinical parameters and 2) to clarify whether SU-measurements might have the potential to detect disease activity.

34 patients (22 M, 12 F) with generalized or localized chronic periodontitis received periodontal treatment in a private practice consisting of an oral hygiene phase (HP) lasting several weeks, scaling and root planing (SRP), and flap surgery at sites >5 mm or with furcation involvement. Subjects were examined three times (1 week after the diagnosis was made, at the end of HP and at the 1st maintenance session 3 months after SRP) recording clinical parameters (clinical attachment loss CAL, probing depth PD, bleeding on probing intensity BI, plaque index PI) and sulcular sulphide level (SU) measured by the portable monitor as as digital score ranging from 0.0 (<10 superset 6 M of S superset 2-) to 5.0 (10 superset 2 M of S superset 2-) in increments of 0.5.

23 patients (15 M, 8 F, 47.5 +/- 9 years) were included in the data analysis. Periodontal therapy resulted in a significant reduction of mean BI by 0.69 +/- 0.45, of mean PD by 1.39 +/- 0.33 mm and in a mean gain of attachment of 1.07 +/- 0.38 mm (p = 0.0001). The clinical improvement was accompanied by a reduction of mean SU by 0.20 +/- 0.13 and of the mean percentage of SU-positive sites per patient (SUp) by 20.09 +/- 13. SU-positive sites were located at all types of teeth. 67.9 % of SU-positive sites and 83.8 % of sites with a SU > 1 were found at the molars. 16.1 % of initially 579 SU-positive sites remained SU-positive. For these sites, BI reduction by treatment was significantly lower compared with SU-negative sites (p < 0.01). SU was significantly correlated with PD, CAL, BI and PI (p = 0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity of SU related to BOP (BI > 0) was 29.3 % and 96.8 %, respectively.

Sulcular VSC as measured by the portable sulphide monitor may be an indicator of therapeutical success and periodontal stability. The sensor system offers chairside information on sulcular sulphide production at specific sites and is a valuable supplementation of traditional clinical methods in periodontal examination. More controlled longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the role of sulcular VSC at sites undergoing periodontal destruction.