Relationship between gingival bleeding and anaerobic periodontal infection assessed by BANA (N-Benzoyl-DL-Arginine-β-Napthylamide) assay

Since periodontal diseases are primarily inflammatory in nature, the ability to detect inflammatory lesions in gingival tissue is essential for the diagnosis and monitoring of changes in gingival status. Gingival bleeding has been used as a reliable and objective clinical parameter not only for the evaluation of inflammatory conditions of periodontium, but also in the detection of its activity and progression. The gingival bleeding index (Loe) is based on the presence or absence of gingival bleeding, thereby provides a means of converting observed clinical data into statistical analysis. Periodontitis is widely regarded as a bacterial infection mainly mediated by subgingival plaque. N-benzoyl-DL-arginine β-naphthylamide (BANA) test is a simple chair side test used to detect, the specific enzymatic activity of microorganisms involved in periodontal disease.