The influence of puberty on spirochetal numbers assessed by dark field microscopy: a pilot study

There seems to be a difference in the susceptibility, prevalence and severity of periodontal disease between children and adults. These differences could be due to; composition of plaque, host response or tissue alterations occurring with age. One of the micro-organisms suspected to play a role in the initiation of periodontal disease is the spirochete. A quick and simple way to observe spirochetes is via dark-field microscopy. The present study sample subgingival plaque from the crevices of 6 prepubertal and 6 postpubertal children and observed it under darkfield microscopy. The technique did not involve dispersion. The results showed a higher percentage of spirochetes for the postpubertal group (15.19% in the prepubertal and 21.62% in the postpubertal) but statistical analysis failed to show any significant difference. The small size of the sample, the variety in the technique and the clinical measurements influence the result.