Evaluation of EvalusiteTM Periodontal Test for Detecting Periodontopathic Bacteria.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the analytical performance of an immunoassay system ( EvalusiteTM Periodontal Test) for the rapid detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Twenty subgingival plaque samples were collected from 10 patients with adult periodontitis. The samples were collected from both deep (more than 6mm) and shallow (nearly 3mm) periodontal pockets to provide a diverse set of culture results. Culture results were used as reference standards, and the specificity of the EvalusiteTM Test for P. gingivalis, P. intermedia and A. actinomycetemcomitans were all 100%. The sensitivity of the test increased to significant levels when levels of colonization were•†105 counts of P. gingivalis or P. intermedia or•†104 counts of A. actinomycetemcomitans. These data demonstrate that the EvalusiteTM Test is both specific and sensitive for the detection colonization by these three microorganisms in subgingival plaque. In addition, this test has been shown to be rapid and handy to use. Therefore, it can be employed as a useful chairside microbial test as an aid in the periodontal diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment.