OCCURRENCE OF ACTINOBACILLUS-ACTINOMYCETEMCOMITANS, PORPHYROMONAS-GINGIVALIS AND PREVOTELLA-INTERMEDIA IN JUVENILE PERIODONTITIS

The occurrence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia in subgingival plaque in 24 juven ile periodontitis patients was determined using DNA probe. 36 samples of subgingival plaque from 36 pockets having greater than or equal to 6 mm depth, greater than or equal to 3 mm of loss of attachment, and b leeding on probing and/or suppuration were taken from 18 patients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP, age range 12-24 years); and 12 samples from 6 patients with generalized juvenile periodontitis (GJP, age range 23-26 years). As control, an equal numbers of samples from healthy sites in the same patients were studied. P. gingivalis was fou nd in 17 of 18 LJP patients, and in 31 of 36 diseased sites in those p atients, P. intermedia was found in 15 out of the 18 LJP patients and in 28 of the 36 diseased sites. A. actinomycetemcomitans was present i n 7 of the 18 LJP patients, and in 9 of the 36 diseased sites, and was not found in any GJP patients. All GJP patients had P. gingivalis (11 out of 12 diseased sites) and P. intermedia (all of the diseased site s). None of the three bacterial species was detected in healthy sites of GJP patients, and were found in healthy sites in only 2 of IS LJP p atients. The high prevalence and high levels of P. gingivalis and P. i ntermedia found in the LJP and GJP patients studied, suggest that ther e are populations affected by juvenile periodontitis in which this typ e of periodontitis is more associated with these species than with A, actinomycetemcomitans.