The purpose of this study was to examine the change of microbial flora under periodontal dressings, between prior and after periodontal surgery, by darkfield microscopy, culture technique and scanning electron microscopy. Bacterial samples were preoperatively taken from gingival surfaces and periodontal pockets of 33 patients who had completed the initial preparation. At 3, 7 days and 1 month after periodontal surgical procedures, samples were taken from the wound surfaces and gingival crevices. The relative proportion of bacterial forms were classified into seven groups: spirochetes, motile rods, curved rods, coccoid cells, fusiforms, filaments and straight rods. Mean value of pocket depth of prior and after surgery was 5.8mm and 2.8mm, respectively. The microscopic results indicated a significant increase in the mean percentage of straight rods, motile rods, curved rods, fusiforms and filaments and a significant decrease in the proportion of coccoid cells from baseline to postsurgery on wound surfaces under periodontal dressings. In contrast to this, a significant increase in the proportion of coccoid cells and a significant decrease in the proportion of spirochetes, motile rods, curved rods and fusiforms were observed in gingival crevices. Culture technique revealed the mean percentage of
Bacteroides intermedius was increased significantly from baseline (0. 7%) to postsurgery (3.8%) on wound surfaces, and the proportion of
Streptococcus sanguis I was decreased significantly. In gingival crevices, the proportions of
Capnocytophaga sp.,
Fusobacterium sp. and
Peptostreptococcus sp. were decreased significantly and those genera were maintained low levels 1 month after periodontal surgery. On wound surfaces under dressings of poorly responsive patients to periodontal surgery, whose probing pocket depth were over 3 mm at 1 month after surgery, the proportion of
B. intermedius was increased significantly and the proportion of
S. sanguis I was decreased significantly. While no significant changes were observed in other patients, the changes of the proportion of those species might be the indicator of the response to periodontal surgery. It was concluded that significant change in the microbial flora under periodontal dressings from baseline levels were cornfirmed, but the dressing did not produce any delay in healing process after periodontal surgery.
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