Use of BANA hydrolysis as a diagnostic test for identifying periodontopathic environments

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the BANA hydrolysis test using the Perio Scan kit to identify subgingival periodontopathogens (P. gingivalis, T. denticola and B. forsythus) and to determine whether the BANA reaction reflected the presence or absence of clinical signs for periodontitis. 10 patients with periodontitis (AP), 10 healthy subjects (HS) and 10 subjects with treated periodontitis under supportive therapy (MP) participated in the study. Subgingival plaque was sampled and the presence or absence of the above mentioned bacteria assessed with BANA reagent cards (Perio Scan). Additionally, all samples were analyzed for the presence or absence of P. gingivalis and/or T. denticola using an ELISA. The BANA test yielded a high specificity (86.7%) and a high sensitivity (77.0%) for the presence of periodontopathogens when compared with the ELISA results as reference parameter. The diagnostic features of the BANA test result compared to the clinical parameters yielded a high degree of accuracy for overall clinical judgement and for probing depth (PD 5 mm), but to a lesser degree, for bleeding on probing.