Detection of subgingival periodontal pathogens--comparison of two sampling strategies

The aim of the study is to compare detection frequency of periodontal pathogens in patients with aggressive/severe chronic periodontitis using pooled plaque samples from the deepest pockets per quadrant/per sextant.

In 100 patients with aggressive/chronic periodontitis, subgingival plaque was sampled from the deepest pockets per quadrant (MT4) and per sextant (MT6). Plaque samples were taken using two sterile paper points simultaneously. One paper point from each pocket was pooled with the three other paper points of the pockets (MT4). Subsequently, the remaining four paper points were pooled with two paper points from the deepest pockets from the two remaining sextants (MT6). The content of each vial was analyzed with nucleic-acid based methods for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia, Parvimonas micra, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, Eubacterium nodatum, Eikenella corrodens, and Capnocytophaga sp.

The detection frequency of A. actinomycetemcomitans (MT4/MT6) at 22/24 %, T. forsythia at 93/96 %, P. gingivalis at 78/79 %, T. denticola at 88/90 %, P. intermedia at 40/46 %, P. micra at 75/79 %, F. nucleatum at both 99 %, C. rectus at 84/89 %, E. nodatum at 62/65 %, E. corrodens at 80/87 %, and Capnocytophaga sp. at 49/58 % was higher with MT6 than with MT4. None of these differences were statistically significant.

The detection frequency of the investigated periopathogens was statistically insignificant higher with the sampling method MT6 compared with MT4.

In daily dental practice, the plaque sampling of the deepest pockets per quadrant seems to be sufficient.