A Case Report of Severe Chronic Periodontitis Evaluated by Serum IgG Antibody Titer Test against Periodontal Pathogens

Abstract

Chronic periodontitis is a polymicrobial infectious disease which may result in loss of teeth by inflammation-mediated bone resorption. More than 500 individual cultivable species of microbes have been identified in the human mouth, and the microbiological examinations for periodontitis have been available to dental clinicians since the late 1980s. Infection with periodontal pathogens leads to humoral immunological responses and elevates the levels of serum IgG antibody to the antigens. Since serum IgG antibodies levels correspond to the amount of periodontal bacteria, the effects of treatments focused on elimination of bacteria could be evaluated by decrease of serum IgG titer to the pathogens. In the present case report, we propose the clinical usefulness of serum IgG antibody levels as a marker for periodontal treatment effects.