Lack of association between haemophili and human periodontal disease

Microflora in adult periodontitis

The subgingival microflora of adult periodontitis was studied in 8 adults (36-47 years) and compared with that of 10 periodontally healthy individuals (36-43 years). A total of 64 periodontal lesions were examined, and classified according to the attachment level in three categories: attachment loss > 6 mm, attachment loss 4-6 mm and attachment loss < 4 mm. Also for comparative purposes 20 gingival sulci were evaluated. Samples were taken using three standardized paper points and were incubated anaerobically in selective and non-selective media. The results showed a statistically significant association of Capnocytophaga gingivalis and Capnocytophaga sputigena with moderate periodontal lesions, while Haemophilus segnis has been correlated to severe periodontal lesions. We concluded that C. gingivalis, C. sputigena and H. segnis might be potentially conductive to periodontal deterioration in adult periodontitis.

Microbiology of early supragingival plaque development after delmopinol treatment

The aim of this double blind, cross-over, microbiological study was to compare the effect of topical application of the plaque control agent 0.5% delmopinol HCl with placebo on early supragingival plaque formation. Six subjects underwent 7 periods (0.5, 1, 2, 8 and 24 h and 3 and 7 days) of placebo and delmopinol application, respectively. At the start of each study period the teeth were professionally cleaned and 2 ml of placebo and delmopinol 0.5%, respectively, were applied on all teeth (twice daily for periods lasting 24 h or more). At the end of each period, supragingival plaque samples of one upper and one lower buccal tooth surface were collected separately and cultured on anaerobically incubated Brucella blood agar, on aerobically incubated blood agar and on selective media for the enumeration of Streptococcus spp., Haemophilus spp., Actinomyces spp., Veillonella spp., Neisseria spp. and Fusobacterium spp. The total anaerobic cultivable microflora after delmopinol use was 10-100 times lower than after placebo use. Compared with placebo, the proportion of cultivable aerobes (61.3%), Streptococcus spp. (104.8%) and Haemophilus spp. (82.3%) increased and the proportion of Actinomyces spp. (86.1%), Veillonella spp. (60.5%), Neisseria spp. (96.9%) and Fusobacterium spp. (60.6%) decreased after 7 days. Short-term application of 0.5% delmopinol HCl on supragingival dental plaque regrowth resulted in a reduction of the number of cultivable microorganisms in the plaque and produced a shift in the cultivable plaque composition.

Occurrence of haemophili in dental plaque and their association with neuraminidase activity

The mean concentration of haemophili in 31 specimens of plaque was 1.23 times 10(6) per milligram or approximately 4.4% of the viable bacteria present. Occurrence of different species was similar to saliva with Haemophilus parainfluenzae constituting 87.8%. Most haemophili produced neuraminidase and appeared to be primarily responsible for the small amounts of this enzyme in plaque.