Assessing periodontal pathogens in children with varying levels of oral hygiene.

This study investigated the presence of organisms Actinobacillus actinomycetecomitans (A.a.), Bacteroides intermedius (B.i.), and Bacteroides gingivalis (B.g.), believed to be associated with periodontal disease etiology in children. The study included fifty children, aged six to fourteen years, selected from patients seeking routine dental care at Children's Hospital National Medical Center. A Modified Plaque Index (MPI) denoting the clinical presence and severity of the periodontal disease was obtained for each patient and ranged from 0-3. A total of 200 samples were obtained from the gingival crevice of the mesial surface of all first permanent molars and tested with DNA probes for the presence of three microorganisms. No correlations were found between race, sex, age, and the Modified Plaque Index. The results show that A. actinomycetecomitans was found only in patients with MPI greater than or equal to 1. B. gingivalis was present only in combination with another organism.