Microbiological Profile of Chronic and Aggressive Periodontitis- A Review

Abstract

Periodontitis is an microbial oral infection associated with the destruction of gingiva, cementum, periodontium and alveolar bone process. Periodontitis is broadly classified into chronic and aggressive forms. Both are distinguished in terms of microbiology, immunology, genetic influences and clinical presentation. The etiology of periodontitis would be because of accumulation of bacterial plaque, harbouring variety of pathogenic bacteria termed as periopathogens or periodontopathogens. The periopathogens ivolved in periodontitis are anaerobic bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia,Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. The microbiota of subgingival plaque contains more than 500 species of bacteria, nevertheless research has shown that Porphyromonas gingivalis, a Gram negative anaerobic bacterium, is the etiological agent which contributes to chronic periodontitis and is considered the keystone. Aggressive periodontitis is also influenced by microbiological, genetic, and host factors. The a comparative microbial profile between the two forms of periodontitis with the microbiological aspects of chronic and aggressive periodontitis can be explained in detail in this article.