Serum antibody levels to 4 periodontal pathogens remain unaltered after mechanical therapy of juvenile periodontitis.

Serum antibody titers to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) Y4, Bacteroides gingivalis, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Eubacterium saburreum were determined with an enzyme immunoassay in 12 patients with juvenile periodontitis (JP) at the beginning of treatment and 16 to 32 months later after clinically successful mechanical therapy without antibiotics. The values were compared to corresponding data obtained from 26 age- and sex-matched individuals with a healthy periodontium. 6 JP patients had significantly increased levels of IgG and IgA antibodies to A.a. and 2 patients had increased IgG and IgA antibodies to C.ochracea. About 75% of the JP patients had a level of IgG antibody to B.gingivalis and E.saburreum which was more than one SD lower than the mean of the healthy controls, and in the IgA class 80-100% had such decreased levels of antibodies to these bacteria. In the IgM class, the JP patients by and large had normal levels of antibodies to the 4 bacteria. After treatment, antibodies to A.a. had decreased in only 3 patients, but the levels were still significantly higher than in healthy controls. Minimal alterations were observed in the levels of antibodies to B.gingivalis, C.ochracea and E.saburreum after treatment.