INTRACELLULAR BACTERIAL INVASION OF TONGUE DORSUM CELLS AS A MECHANISM TO EVADE TREATMENTS FOR AGGRESSIVE PERIODONTITIS

ABSTRACT

Background: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that tongue dorsum cells serve as an extracrevicular bacterial reservoir after standard non-surgical treatment of aggressive periodontitis.

Methods: Eighteen patients with aggressive periodontitis received a clinical examination during which samples of tongue dorsum cells were collected along with samples of subgingival plaque and buccal epithelial cells. The latter samples have been studied and published (Johnson, et al., 2008), the results of which support the existence of extracrevicular bacterial reservoirs after treatment of aggressive periodontitis. The patients were treated with full-month scaling, root planning, systemic antibiotics, and antimicrobial rinses. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal microscopy were used to determine the extent of intracellular invasion in the tongue dorsum cells.

Results: There was no statistical difference at any timepoint (baseline, 3 months, or 6 months) among the percent tongue cells invaded by any of the four periodontal bacteria, A. actinomycetemcomitans; T. forsythensis; P. gingivalis and T. denticola. The percentage of bacterial invasion in tongue dorsum cells was much higher than that in buccal epithelial cells reported in the previous study.

Conclusion: The tongue dorsum cells serve as one of the reservoirs in the oral mucosa for periodontal pathogens associated with aggressive periodontitis.