Subgingival microflora of advanced periodontitis in the Dominican Republic

A study of the predominant subgingival microflora was carried out in 24 periodontitis patients, 18 to 60 years of age, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Paper point sampling, transport in VMGA III, and conventional microbiological techniques were utilized. Direct microscopic examination revealed that cocci and nonmotile organisms made up 85% of the total organisms and spirochetes as little as 3%. Nonselective culturing showed Gram-negative organisms to constitute 53% of total isolates. Fusobacterium nucleatum averaged 15%, black-pigmented anaerobes 7%, and Peptostreptococcus micros 10% of the cultivable microflora. Enteric rods and acinetobacter species were recovered from 16 patients and comprised 23% of the cultivable flora. Enterobacter cloacae occurred in 8 patients, Klebsiella oxytoca in 3 patients, and 7 other species in 10 patients. Parallel studies have found a significantly lower prevalence of enteric rods in advanced periodontitis patients in the USA. In conclusion, fewer spirochetes and markedly more enteric rods seem to inhabit adult periodontitis lesions in Santo Domingo patients compared to those in USA. High levels of subgingival enteric rods in periodontitis patients in Santo Domingo may have important prophylactic and therapeutic implications.