bacteriology
Last reviewed 01/2018
The amassing of dental plaque associated with periodontitis causes an increase in the bacterial flora. There is a shift towards Gram negative rods, anaerobes, spirochaetes and other motile forms of bacteria.
Within periodontal pockets, up to 300 species of bacteria have been identified; aggressive periodontitis has been associated with the following specific organisms:
- Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
- Porphyromonas gingivalis
- Bacteriodes forsythus