Premium
Bacterial Penetration of the Pocket Tissues in Juvenile/ Postjuvenile Periodontitis after the Presurgical Oral Hygiene Phase
Author(s) -
Liakoni H.,
Barber P. M.,
Newman H. N.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.036
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1943-3670
pISSN - 0022-3492
DOI - 10.1902/jop.1987.58.12.847
Subject(s) - connective tissue , bacteria , periodontitis , soft tissue , epithelium , oral hygiene , juvenile , pathology , ultrastructure , medicine , gingival and periodontal pocket , biology , dentistry , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
Previous ultrastructural investigations of untreated sites of both adult and juvenile periodontitis have shown bacteria within the periodontal soft tissues. In the present study biopsies of the soft tissue walls of deep pockets from seven patients with juvenile (JP) or postjuvenile periodontitis (PJP) were removed at the end of the presurgical oral hygiene phase of treatment and examined in the transmission electron microscope. Bacteria were sparse, regardless of the level of tissue breakdown, both on the surface and within the superficial layers of the epithelium, deep to the basement membrane and throughout the underlying connective tissue. Of the 140 blocks from 20 biopsies, only two revealed intratissue accumulations of microorganisms. The organisms observed were gram‐positive or gram‐negative and appeared to be exclusively coccoid or rod‐shaped. It is suggested that the reduced tissue content of bacteria reflects the establishment of adequate oral hygiene. Evidently either the tissue content of bacteria is less than has been reported previously or the host response is able to cope with residual bacteria that have penetrated the soft tissue.