Will a routine analysis of subgingival microbiota in periodontitis contribute to patient benefit?
In this study, we investigated to what extent the outcome of these techniques has changed our insight into the composition of the subgingival microbiota and whether this has consequences on clinical decision making.
The open ended approaches showed that the composition of subgingival plaque is much more complex than previously thought. Next to the classical putative periodontal pathogens, several non culturable and fastidious species are now recognized as being associated with periodontitis, thus enlarging the group of suspected periodontal pathogens.
We conclude that routine analyses of subgingival plaque in the clinic are not necessarily of benefit to the patient. (Source: European Journal of Oral Sciences)