Prepubertal periodontitis. A case report with an analysis of lymphocyte populations

An 11-year-old boy with clinical and radiological features of prepubertal periodontitis is presented. He had a history of recurrent upper respiratory tract infections and otitis media. Neutrophil chemotaxis was significantly reduced compared to normal. Total T- and B-lymphocyte numbers were not altered. T-lymphocyte subsets studied with monoclonal antibodies revealed that both T-helper and T-suppressor cell populations were reduced with a normal TH/TS ratio of 1.8. No significant changes were observed in the serum IgG, IgA and IgM values. Serum C3c and C4 levels were found to be elevated. These findings may contribute to the pathogenesis of prepubertal periodontitis.