Bacteria in dental plaque

Certain bacteria in dental plaque of kids could help predict their periodontal disease risk as adults.

Researchers from Eastman Dental Institute, London, have revealed that the presence of certain bacteria in dental plaque of children could help predict their risk of developing periodontal disease as adults.

Their findings appear in the September 2004 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

"Although periodontal disease is rare in healthy children, it is important to investigate the presence of periodontal pathogens as the permanent teeth start to erupt," wrote the researchers.

In the study, DNA was taken from plaque samples in children ages five to nine, with and without gingivitis, and tested for the presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and Tannerella forsythensis.

"The results of this study have shown that the three pathogens can be detected in the plaque of children with and without gingivitis and specifically that T. forsythensis is associated with dental plaque found at sites without gingivitis," the researchers said.

"Further work is needed to analyze the significance of finding a greater prevalence of T. forsythensis in children with no gingivitis than in children with gingivitis as observed," they concluded.