The effect of supragingival plaque control on the composition of the subgingival microbial flora in ligature-induced periodontitis in the monkey.

The influence of supragingival plaque control on the subgingival microflora and clinical parameters of ligature-induced periodontitis in the Cynomolgus monkey was investigated. No clinical changes were observed during the six-week experimental period. The total cultivable flora and the proportions of total black-pigmented Bacteroides (BPB) and asaccharolytic black-pigmented Bacteroides decreased significantly in the cleaned test sites as compared to those in the non-cleaned controls. The study suggests that six wk of supragingival plaque control in the presence of periodontal disease may alter the periodontitis-associated microflora in the monkey, but not sufficiently to alter clinical signs of disease in this time period.