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) asp artate aminotransferase (AST) levels and plaque BANA hydrolysis activi ty with the presence of the periodontal pathogens Porphyromonas gingiv alis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. The study comprised 100 periodontitis sites (pocket depths greater than or equal to 4 mm, GI= 3) from 10 patients with chronic adult periodontitis and 100 control s ites (pocket depths <4 mm, GI<3) from 10 periodontally healthy patient s comprising 55 healthy sites (pocket depths <4 mm, GI=0) and 45 gingi vitis sites (pocket depths <4 mm, GI=1 or 2). The values for both BANA hydrolysis and AST levels were significantly higher in samples from p eriodontitis compared with gingivitis and healthy sites (p<0.001). A. actinomycetemcomitans was identified in 45% and P. gingivalis in 17% o f periodontitis sites but neither pathogen was recovered from control sites and there was no significant correlation with the clinical param eters measured. There was no significant relationship between the pres ence of P. gingivalis and/or A. actinomycetemcomitans with BANA hydrol ysis or AST levels. A significant correlation (p=0.0017) was observed between BANA hydrolysis and pocket depth and between AST hydrolysis an d the GI (p=0.01). This study failed to demonstrate a positive associa tion between chairside analysis of GCF metabolites for AST levels and/ or BANA hydrolysis with P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans. Ho wever, the GCF metabolites had a significant correlation with periodon tally diseased sites in patients with chronic adult periodontitis and may help confirm clinical observations.