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 g-weekly intervals included dupl icate PD measurements, presence of plaque, redness, and bleeding on pr obing. Baseline measurements consisted of 2 visits 1 wk apart. Microbi al samples were taken from 11 of the subjects who had completed at lea st 8 months of monitoring. Levels of serum antibodies to 12 periodonta l species were determined from 10 subjects. Standard deviations of rep licate PD measurements, computed for each subject, ranged from 0.2-0.3 mm over the monitoring period. Plaque and redness increased during mo nitoring, and showed a weak association with PD change. Baseline and f ollow-up distributions of PD changes indicated that changes of >1.5 mm could reasonably be considered to represent active sites. Five subjec ts demonstrated at least 1 site deepening by 1.5 mm over the period mo nitored, and these were considered putative active subjects. Sites fro m 2 subjects showed PD increases in the 6 wk just before sampling, and these were considered to represent active sites. Species associated w ith putative active subjects included Actinomyces naeslundii, Veillone lla parvula, Selenomonas noxia and Prevotella nigrescens. Streptococcu s sanguis, S. gordonii and Peptostreptococcus micros were associated w ith 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 subje cts. The predominant microbiota of putative active subjects included s ome species previously associated with gingivitis, and some species pr eviously associated with progressing periodontitis.