Distribution of capnocytophaga in periodontal microfloras.

Abstract

Concentrations and incidence of capnocytophagae were determined in 559 samples from persons with moderate (MP), severe (SP), and localized juvenile (JP) periodontitis; persons with healthy gingiva; and children and adults participating in experimental gingivitis studies. Capnocytophagae were most frequent in four children who participated in an experimental gingivitis study. The lowest incidence and concentrations were found in subgingival floras of affected sites of persons with MP, SP, or JP.Statistically significantly (P = 0.02 to 0.05) higher proportions of capnocytophagae were found in a) sites in children with gingival index (GI) of 0 than similar sites in adults, b) sites in children with GI of 2 than GI of 0, c) supragingival and subgingival samples from healthy persons than subgingival samples from SP, d) supragingival samples from SP than subgingival samples from SP and from JP, e) supragingival samples from MP than subgingival samples from SP.These data from cross‐sectional studies indicate that the significance of capnocytophagae in the etiology of periodontal diseases has been overestimated. Their higher incidence and proportional concentrations in healthy sites and supragingival floras than in the subgingival sulcus of sites with attachment loss would indicate that they are not as competitive in the sulcus as they are on the exposed tooth surface and would argue against their being active agents of these types of destructive periodontal diseases. However, preliminary data from three persons (MP) participating in longitudinal studies show that in one of the three persons the levels of C. ochracea increased to 10 to 20% of the flora in subgingival samples in which there had been at least a 2 mm loss of attachment within three months. No capnocytophagae were isolated from similar sites in one other person, and they constituted 6% of the flora in the breakdown site in the third person.