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Current concepts in juvenile periodontitis
L A Wisner-Lynch1, W V Giannobile
1Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Current Opinion in Periodontology
|January 1, 1993
Summary
Juvenile periodontitis, a severe gum disease in adolescents, involves aggressive bone destruction. Research is advancing in understanding its prevalence, host response, and the role of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, aiding treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Periodontology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Juvenile periodontitis is a severe form of periodontal disease characterized by aggressive bone destruction.
- It affects adolescents during puberty, with localized and generalized manifestations.
- Understanding disease prevalence across different demographics is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in understanding juvenile periodontitis.
- To explore host response mechanisms and microbial factors.
- To discuss current and proposed treatment modalities.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent epidemiological studies on prevalence (locale, gender, ethnicity).
- Evaluation of host response, including changes in neutrophil cell surface receptors.
- Application of molecular techniques like restriction fragment length polymorphism to identify microbial variants.
Main Results:
- Identified changes in neutrophil receptor density and structure in patients.
- Enabled identification of clonal variants of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans using molecular techniques.
- Highlighted the potential of identifying virulence factors for disease initiation and progression.
Conclusions:
- Advances in understanding host response and microbial virulence factors are crucial for juvenile periodontitis.
- Molecular techniques aid in characterizing associated microorganisms like Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.
- Integrated treatment approaches including debridement, surgery, and anti-infective therapy are proposed.