Microbial factors and gingival crevicular fluid aspartate aminotransferase levels. A cross-sectional study

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the clinical application of chairside tests for gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and plaque BANA hydrolysis activity with the presence of the periodontal pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. The study comprised 100 periodontitis sites (pocket depths > or =4 mm, GI=3) from 10 patients with chronic adult periodontitis and 100 control sites (pocket depths <4 mm, GI<3) from 10 periodontally healthy patients comprising 55 healthy sites (pocket depths <4 mm, GI=0) and 45 gingivitis sites (pocket depths <4 mm, GI=1 or 2). The values for both BANA hydrolysis and AST levels were significantly higher in samples from periodontitis compared with gingivitis and healthy sites (p<0.001). A. actinomycetemcomitans was identified in 45% and P. gingivalis in 17% of periodontitis sites but neither pathogen was recovered from control sites and there was no significant correlation with the clinical parameters measured. There was no significant relationship between the presence of P. gingivalis and/or A. actinomycetemcomitans with BANA hydrolysis or AST levels. A significant correlation (p=0.0017) was observed between BANA hydrolysis and pocket depth and between AST hydrolysis and the GI (p=0.01). This study failed to demonstrate a positive association between chairside analysis of GCF metabolites for AST levels and/or BANA hydrolysis with P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans. However, the GCF metabolites had a significant correlation with periodontally diseased sites in patients with chronic adult periodontitis and may help confirm clinical observations.