[Bacterial colonization of the epithelial cells of gingival pockets]

Common methods for microbiologic examination of the gingival pocket contents in periodontitis are rarely used in practical periodontology. The author proposes to quantify epithelial cells contaminated by bacterial flora. Results of cytologic studies of smear impressions from 30 patients with periodontal diseases and from 13 normal subjects are presented, evidencing a significant elevation of bacterial contamination of the epithelium in the patients vs. that in normal subjects (66.51 +/- 3.5 vs. 44.66 +/- 4.75 percent).