Early microbial succession in redeveloping dental biofilms in periodontal health and disease.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective comparative longitudinal cohort study
PubMed 21895662 · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0765.2011.01409.x
What was done
Researchers tracked bacterial recolonization in supragingival and subgingival plaque after professional cleaning in 38 periodontally healthy individuals and 17 patients with periodontitis. Following full-mouth cleaning, oral hygiene was suspended for 7 days. Plaque samples collected immediately after cleaning and at days 1, 2, 4, and 7 from randomly selected quadrants were analyzed using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. Microbial succession patterns were evaluated using a modified moving-window analysis.
What was found
Supragingival succession patterns were similar between periodontally healthy and periodontitis subjects. At day 1, Streptococcus mitis and Neisseria mucosa increased; Capnocytophaga gingivalis, Eikenella corrodens, Veillonella parvula, and Streptococcus oralis peaked across days 1–4; and Campylobacter rectus, Campylobacter showae, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Prevotella nigrescens increased across days 4–7. Subgingival biofilm recolonization was slower and distinct: S. mitis rose first, followed by V. parvula and C. gingivalis, and by day 7 Capnocytophaga sputigena and P. nigrescens. No significant increase in the proportions of classic periodontal pathogens was detected within the 7-day period in either group or location. Specific quantitative percentages and variance estimates were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Understanding the temporal dynamics of early biofilm succession clarifies normal versus pathogenic plaque maturation, showing that early recolonization order is primarily driven by anatomical niche (supragingival vs. subgingival) rather than baseline periodontal health status.
Limits
The study had a small overall sample size (n = 55 total; 17 with periodontitis), monitored only a short 7-day window, used targeted DNA-DNA hybridization probes rather than comprehensive sequencing, and the abstract did not provide exact quantitative values or effect sizes.
Cited by
- contradicts Research shows that immediately following a deep dental cleaning, oral pathogen levels in the mouth increase.