Abstract

ACUNA, Miguel et al. Presence of bacterial enzymatic activity in patients with periodontal pockets in the city of Corrientes (Argentina). Rev. Odont. Mex [online]. 2011, vol.15, n.3, pp.152-156. ISSN 1870-199X.

This research has the purpose of determining enzymatic activity found in periodontal pockets in one sector of the population of the City of Corrientes. This task will be undertaken applying enzymatic biochemical diagnostic test or reaction of N&-benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthyl-amide (BANA) as an auxiliary to conventional clinical diagnosis. We worked with 62 patients whose pocket depth was greater than 3 mm. A control group was established with ten patients whose pocket depth had a maximum of 2 mm 72 patients were appraised and a total of 124 sites were examined. On these sites enzymatic activity was manifested in the following manner: 6 (six) sites tested positive for the BANA test (more than 500,000 anaerobic CFU at the sample site). 80 periodontal pocket samples yielded in the BANA test a result of slightly positive. This indicates periodontal bacteria in a range of 100,000 to 500,000 anaerobic CF U in all sampled sites. 18 sampled sites tested negative. This indicates that bacterial presence at the sampled site did not reach 100,000 CFU. When 20 sites of the 10 patients in the control group were examined, no enzymatic activity was observed. Through results gathered from this research, we can emphasize the benefit of including Non Conventional Diagnostic Techniques such as the BANA hydrolysis test (N-&-benzyl-DL-arginine-2-Naphthylamide) to periodontal clinical examinations. This represents an adjunct for dentists in need to emit an early diagnosis of this disease.

Keywords : Periodontal pocket, BANA test, periodontal disease diagnosis.