RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SALIVARY BLOOD-GROUP ANTIGENS, MICROBIAL-FLORA AND PERIODONTAL CONDITION IN YOUNG-ADULTS

To investigate a possible role for salivary blood-group antigens in th e relative frequencies of selected periodontal pathogens and commensal oral micro-organisms, we studied the clinical and microbiological con dition in young adults with or without blood group reactive substances in saliva (secretors or nonsecretors respectively). Clinical measurem ents were recorded at the Ramfjord teeth in 81 1st-year dental student s. In addition, presence of interproximal loss of attachment (LA) was assessed at sites with a pocket depth of greater than or equal to 4 mm . Microbiological samples were taken from one of the Ramfjord teeth (s ite without inteproximal LA), from interproximal sites of greater than or equal to 4 mm in conjunction with LA, and from the saliva. The sam ples were analyzed for the presence of Actinomyces naeslundii, Actinom yces viscosus, Campylobacter rectus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Peptostr eptococcus micros, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Clinically, no statistically si gnificant differences were found in the periodontal status between sec retors (78% of our population) and non-secretors. Furthermore, the occ urrence of the monitored micro-organisms was not correlated to the sec retor status. It is concluded that bacterial colonization with the mic ro-organisms tested in this study, apparently occurred independent of secretor status. Among the periodontal pathogens, only P. intermedia w as more frequently recovered from the saliva of subjects with interpro ximal LA (49%) than in those without (33%; p=0.03). This finding was i rrespective of the secretor status. Therefore, P. intermedia may be an important micro-organism in relation to the onset of periodontal dest ruction in young adults.