Correlations between bacterial levels in autologous subgingival plaque and saliva of adult Sudanese.

The aim of this study was to assess levels of oral bacteria and their correlations in paired samples of saliva and subgingival plaque in a population of adult Sudanese. Whole saliva and pooled subgingival plaque samples from six probing sites of one tooth in each jaw were obtained from 56 Sudanese adults (mean age 35.2+/-8.9 years). Levels of 24 oral bacteria in the autologous saliva and pooled plaque sample of each subject were assessed by DNA probes and checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. There were significantly ( P< or =0.01) higher percentages of subjects with > or =10(5) bacterial cells of Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, Veillonella parvula, Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus salivarius, and Leptotrichia buccalis and significantly ( P< or =0.01) lower percentages with Treponema denticola in saliva than in subgingival plaque. The detection frequencies at > or =10(6) bacterial cells were significantly higher for Selenomonas sputigena, S. anginosus, Streptococcus sanguis, and S. salivarius and significantly lower for Porphyromonas gingivalis in saliva than in subgingival plaque ( P< or =0.01). Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, S. sputigena, S. sanguis, and Streptococcus mitis demonstrated significant ( P< or =0.05) positive correlations between their levels in plaque and saliva. This study indicates that the levels of P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum, S. sputigena, S. sanguis, and S. mitis correlate significantly in saliva and subgingival plaque and that higher accuracy of detection and assessment of the levels of these bacteria in the oral cavity may be achieved by concurrent sampling of saliva and subgingival plaque.