Infection patterns in chronic and aggressive periodontitis

Background: We revisited the postulate that localized aggressive periodontitis (LAP) patients have robust serum antibody (ab) responses to periodontal pathogens while patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP) show weak responses. We also studied ab responses in localized chronic (LCP) and generalized chronic periodontitis (GCP).

Methods: Fifty-seven patients (14–74 years, 25% male, 70% Hispanic, 26% African American) were studied (15 LAP, 19 GAP, 11 LCP, 12 GCP patients). Three plaque samples/subject were analysed with respect to 15 species, and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to the same bacteria were determined. Ab responses were expressed as log-transformed titres, and “infection ratios”, i.e., log-transformed ratios of ab titre over the subject-based mean bacterial load for the homologous species.

Results: The results failed to corroborate the postulate that LAG patients have robust responses to infecting agents while GAP subjects exhibit weak responses. This held true for ab to “red complex”, “orange complex”, and health-associated species, and for both titres and infection ratios. Similarly, no differences were found between ab titres or infection ratios in chronic and aggressive periodontitis, or their extent-based subdivisions.

Conclusions: A distinction between the two principal categories of the current periodontitis classification cannot be established by the study of infection patterns.