Clinical, microbiological and immunological profile of healthy, gingivitis and putative active periodontal subjects

Thirteen periodontally healthy subjects were monitored clinically for 6-12 months. Clinical measurements at 6-weekly intervals included duplicate PD measurements, presence of plaque, redness, and bleeding on probing. Baseline measurements consisted of 2 visits 1 wk apart. Microbial samples were taken from 11 of the subjects who had completed at least 8 months of monitoring. Levels of serum antibodies to 12 periodontal species were determined from 10 subjects. Standard deviations of replicate PD measurements, computed for each subject, ranged from 0.2-0.3 mm over the monitoring period. Plaque and redness increased during monitoring, and showed a weak association with PD change. Baseline and follow-up distributions of PD changes indicated that changes of > 1.5 mm could reasonably be considered to represent active sites. Five subjects demonstrated at least 1 site deepening by 1.5 mm over the period monitored, and these were considered putative active subjects. Sites from 2 subjects showed PD increases in the 6 wk just before sampling, and these were considered to represent active sites. Species associated with putative active subjects included Actinomyces naeslundii, Veillonella parvula, Selenomonas noxia and Prevotella nigrescens. Streptococcus sanguis, S. gordonii and Peptostreptococcus micros were associated with inactive subjects. S. gordonii and S. oralis were associated with health, whereas P. nigrescens was associated with gingivitis. Elevated serum antibodies were detected to A. actinomycetemcomitans in 4 subjects. The predominant microbiota of putative active subjects included some species previously associated with gingivitis, and some species previously associated with progressing periodontitis.