Recovery of A. actinomycetemcomitans from teeth, tongue, and saliva

The recovery of actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans simultaneously from subgingival sites around teeth and dorsum of the tongue and/or saliva was examined in 293 subjects at 444 visits; 295 paired samples were available from subgingival sites and tongue, 171 paired samples from subgingival sites and stimulated saliva, and 137 paired samples from subgingival sites and unstimulated saliva. Sixty-one subjects were periodontally healthy (mean age 20.3 years); 55 exhibited localized juvenile periodontitis (mean age 21.8 years); 176 adult periodontitis (mean age 46.7 years); and 1 prepubertal periodontitis (age 10 years). When A. actinomycetemcomitans was recovered from subgingival sites, it was also found in 56.3%, 69.9%, and 35.9% of the paired samples from tongue, and stimulated and unstimulated saliva, respectively. No difference in the detection rate of A. actinomycetemcomitans from tongue or stimulated saliva was seen between the subjects with healthy or diseased periodontium. When A. actinomycetemcomitans was not recovered from subgingival sites, it was cultured in 6.8%, 2.0%, and 1.4% of the paired samples from tongue, and stimulated and unstimulated saliva, respectively. In search for noninvasive, inexpensive, and easily run sampling methods for the recovery of oral A. actinomycetemcomitans samples from stimulated saliva and tongue may prove useful in clinical periodontology.