Identification of bacterial species on or in crevicular epithelial cells from healthy and periodontally diseased patients using DNA‐DNA hybridization

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Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to identify bacterial species present on or in crevicular epithelial cells in healthy and diseased sites using DNA probes. In order to achieve this aim, further improvements were made in the separation of unattached bacteria from those adherent to epithelial cells isolated from the human gingival crevice or periodontal pocket. Then the DNA probes were used to determine the prevalence of detectable DNA from 15 microbial species on or in crevicular epithelial cells. One sample was taken from a single subgingival site in each of 51 individuals ranging in age from 19 to 45 years. Samples were taken from 27 sites of clinically healthy subjects and 24 samples were taken from subjects having periodontally diseased sites. DNA-DNA hybridization indicated that a majority of epithelial cells from healthy sites (63%) were in contact with or harbored Streptococcus oralis. On the other hand, species such as Bacteroides forsythus, Prevotella intermedia, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Campylobacter rectus were more frequently detected in elevated numbers in periodontally diseased sites. Cluster analysis of the microbial profiles generally aggregated subjects with and without periodontitis into separate cluster groups. The cluster patterns suggest the possibility that microbial complexes will be, in part, determined by the receptors available on the epithelial cells.