THE MOST FREQUENTLY ISOLATED GRAM-NEGATIVE ANAEROBES IN SALIVA AND SUBGINGIVAL SAMPLES TAKEN FROM YOUNG-WOMEN

Stimulated saliva and a pooled subgingival sample from the first molars were collected from 30 Caucasian women (mean age 30 years) for the presence of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria. The samples were inoculated on nonselective and selective media. The gram-negative anaerobic species occurring in the oral cavity of more than 50% of the subjects were selected for further analysis. Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella melaninogenica were not recovered from subgingival sites without a simultaneous recovery in saliva. When positive subgingivally, Leptotrichia spp., nonpigmented Prevotella spp., Prevotella intermedia, Capnocytophaga spp., Bacteroides gracilis and Prevotella loescheii were simultaneously detected from saliva in 76%, 72%, 64%, 64%, 61% and 55% of the subjects, respectively. Intraindividually, the proportions of F. nucleatum, nonpigmented Prevotella spp., Leptotrichia spp., B. gracilis and P loescheii of the anaerobic flora were quite similar in the salivary and subgingival samples. Capnocytophaga spp. and P intermedia were present in higher proportions in subgingival samples than in saliva, whereas P melaninogenica was present in higher proportions in saliva. Our data indicate that many oral gram-negative anaerobes are frequently recovered from stimulated saliva. Furthermore, when subgingivally positive, most subjects harbored these anaerobes simultaneously in saliva.