T cell responses of periodontal disease patients and healthy subjects to oral microorganisms.

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The relationship between T cell proliferative responses to oral microorganisms and periodontal disease status was studied utilizing a standardized T cell/monocyte mixture previously shown to generate maximal proliferative responses in vitro. T cells from periodontally healthy and diseased subjects were found to respond equally well to all oral microorganisms tested. When subjects were grouped according to their T cell response profile by cluster analysis, a generalized high responder and generalized low responder group was defined. Low responders were found to have significantly more redness and bleeding on probing than high responders. No differences were found between the two groups with respect to suppuration, plaque, attachment level, pocket depth, or bone loss. Patients not falling into the high or low responder groups had intermediate proliferative responses and moderate amounts of inflammation. These findings indicate that T cell proliferative responses to oral microorganisms may identify subgroups of individuals with unique clinical features.