Experimental transient bacteraemias in human subjects with clinically healthy gingivae

Thirty-six subjects with no evidence of clinical gingival inflammation underwent a standardized toothbrushing procedure. Blood specimens, obtained from a vein in the antecubital fossa during the last 30 seconds of brushing, were cultured under aerobic and stringent anaerobic conditions. Three subjects exhibited detectable bacteraemias, Propionibacterium sp. being isolated from two of the subjects, while Actinomyces sp., Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus mitis were isolated from the third. The implications of these results are discussed.