This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Loesche, W.J. Articles by Hujoel, P.P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Loesche, W.J. Articles by Hujoel, P.P. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Utility of the BANA Test for Monitoring Anaerobic Infections due to Spirochetes (Treponema denticola) in Periodontal Disease

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1078

J. Giordano

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1078

P.P. Hujoel

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1078

Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Bacteroides forsythus each possesses an enzyme(s) that hydrolyzes the synthetic substrate benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA). The presence of these organisms in a subgingival plaque sample can be determined by the ability of the plaque to hydrolyze BANA. In the present study, we describe the usefulness of the BANA test at various stages of a clinical trial of the efficacy of metronidazole in the treatment of periodontal disease. A BANA-positive test was significantly associated with high levels and proportions of spirochetes in the plaque, so that it provided information comparable with that which could be obtained by a microscopic examination of the plaque. Patients with such anaerobic spirochetal infections were randomly assigned to a group receiving either metronidazole or placebo (250 mg, three times a day) for one week and whose teeth were scaled and root-planed. The advantages of the decision that metronidazole be used were apparent from the comparison with the results obtained in the patients who received only the scaling and root planing. The initially BANA-positive teeth in the patients treated with metronidazole, scaling, and root planing gained attachment and exhibited a significant reduction in the need for periodontal surgery, when compared with the BANA-positive teeth in the patients who received only placebo, scaling, and root planing. After the conclusion of this therapy, those teeth with persistent BANA-positive plaques had significantly higher proportions and levels of spirochetes than did the teeth with BANA-negative plaques. A tooth site which tested BANA-positive after the initial therapy lost significantly more attachment in the year following active treatment than did a tooth site that tested BANA-negative, i.e., a mean difference of 0.48 mm per year. The ability of the BANA test to detect an anaerobic infection due to the BANA-positive species and possibly to predict future attachment loss indicates that this test may be helpful in the management of the periodontally diseased patient.

Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 69, No. 10, 1696-1702 (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345900690101301


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. A. Brissette and S. A. Lukehart Mechanisms of Decreased Susceptibility to {beta}-Defensins by Treponema denticola Infect. Immun., May 1, 2007; 75(5): 2307 - 2315. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. J. Loesche and N. S. Grossman Periodontal Disease as a Specific, albeit Chronic, Infection: Diagnosis and Treatment Clin. Microbiol. Rev., October 1, 2001; 14(4): 727 - 752. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C.W. Drake, R.J. Hunt, and G.G. Koch Three-year Tooth Loss among Black and White Older Adults in North Carolina Journal of Dental Research, February 1, 1995; 74(2): 675 - 680. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M.-R. Watson, W. Bretz, and W. Loesche Presence of Treponema denticola and Porphyromonas gingivalis in Children Correlated with Periodontal Disease of Their Parents Journal of Dental Research, October 1, 1994; 73(10): 1636 - 1640. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. Locker and J.L. Leake Risk Indicators and Risk Markers for Periodontal Disease Experience in Older Adults Living Independently in Ontario, Canada Journal of Dental Research, January 1, 1993; 72(1): 9 - 17. [Abstract] [PDF]