Isolation and Evaluation of Microbial Flora in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis: A Microbiological Study

The periodontal diseases comprise of a group of diseases involving gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. Although multifactorial, the main etiological factor in causing periodontitis is the presence of microorganisms. Animal model studies have shown a positive significant correlation between the presence of dental plaque and occurrence of periodontal pathologies. Hence, we aim to isolate and evaluate the microbial flora in patients with chronic generalize periodontitis. A total of 100 patients reporting with the problem of chronic periodontitis were included in the study. Samples were collected twice. Initially, before the commencement of any treatment and second, following scaling and root planning treatment along with antibiotic therapy after 1 week. Specimens were sent to the microbiology laboratory for evaluation and assessment. McConkey agar, 5% sheep blood agar and agar plates containing hematin and Vitamin K were used for assessment of growth of colonies of microorganisms. Average age of the patients was between 45 and 65 years. 76 of the isolates from the patients were polymicrobial in nature. 34 polymicrobial specimens were combination of 2 isolates while 42 samples were a combination of 3 or more isolates. 89% of the total isolates were strictly anaerobes while remaining were aerobic in nature. Fusobacterium species were the most common among the anaerobes. Periodontitis patients comprises of a wide morphological diverse microbial flora which should be considered while planning treatment.