ABSTRACT
Abstract A small number of bacterial pathogens in the human oral cavity cause the different fonns of periodontal disease. Of the approximately two hundred different oral bacterial species, about a dozen have been associated with these diseases including localized juvenile periodontitis, rapidly progressing periodontitis, and adult periodontitis. These species include Actjnohacjllus actjnomycetemcomitans, Bact.eroides forsythus. Campylobact.er ~. Porpbyromonas ~:in~:ivalis, and Prevotella intermedin. Several rapid methods have been developed to detect these species in clinical samples. These include immunologic methods such as immunofluorescence, nucleic acid assays such as DNA-DNA hybridization in dot blots. and enzyme assays. Immunotluorescence microscopy bas been used to determine the prevalence and relative proportions of these pathogens in dental plaque samples from 194 subjects including HIV-infected and uninfected male homosexuals and intravenous drug users.
