Microflora profiling of subgingival and supragingival plaque of healthy and periodontitis subjects by nested PCR

The aim of this study was to compare the detection frequencies of 25 bacterial species in subgingival with supragingival plaque of periodontitis subjects and periodontally healthy subjects. Two species (Mogibacterium timidum and Porphyromonasgingivalis) were detected significantly more frequently in subgingival plaque of periodontitis subjects than of healthy subjects, suggesting that these two species are closely related to periodontitis. There were no significant differences in the detection frequencies of the 25 bacteria between subgingival and supragingival plaque, suggesting that the bacterial flora of supragingival plaque reflects that of subgingival plaque.