Simplified technique for sonication and processing of dental plaque samples.

A simplified method for processing dental plaque samples was devised and compared to previously used methods. Analysis of 36 nonstandardized subgingival plaque samples from various states of periodontal health and disease and 12 standardized supragingival plaque samples demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the recovery offered by the two techniques. Comparable recovery, increased convenience, and adaptation to the clinical setting suggests that implementation of this simplified technique may be of great value.