Detection of Peptostreptococcus Micros in Periodontal Health and Disease Using Culture Technique

Context: Periodontal diseases are infectious diseases resulting in inflammation within the supporting tissues of the teeth. There are various periodontopathogens that cause periodontal diseases. One such micro-organism is Peptostreptococcus micros. However, they are often overlooked and they are very difficult to isolate. Hence the aim of the present study is to determine an association of Peptostreptococcus micros in periodontal health and disease. Aims: To detect Peptostreptococcus micros in patients with healthy periodontium and chronic periodontitis using culture technique and to compare the prevalence of Peptostreptococcus micros between these two groups. Methods and Material: Seventy five subjects were recruited in the study. Based on clinical examination, the subjects were divided into Periodontally healthy individuals and chronic periodontitis individuals. The subgingival plaque samples collected from each subject were inoculated on selective media, the colonies were identified and colony forming units (CFU) counted. Statistical analysis used: Comparison of CFU counts in healthy and chronic periodontitis group was done by one way ANOVA and Correlation between CFU counts with clinical parameters by Spearmans rank correlation test. Results: The mean log of CFU counts in chronic periodontitis group was significantly more than that in healthy group. Also, statistically significant values were found between the log Colony forming unit counts and the clinical parameters. Conclusions: The present study ascertains the correlation of the prevalence of Peptostreptococcus micros to the severity of periodontal disease.