Piovano, S.
School of Dentistry, Maimónides University, Bs. As., Argentina.

The anaerobic infections most frequently found in the oral cavity are gingivoperiodontal diseases and pulp and periapical infections. The different clinical forms of gingivitis are generally infections affecting the soft tissues. Periodontitis comprises a group of diseases with different etiologies and host responses, characterized by inflammation and attachment tissue loss of the dental pieces. The most prevalent form is periodontitis in adults. Subgingival microbiota is complex and there is a prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia/ nigrescens, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides forsythus, Peptostreptococcus micros, Campylobacter rectus, species of Fusobacterium, Eikenella and Treponemas.

Since the development of implants as a means to replace lost dental pieces, two types of infection have been described, mucositis and periimplantitis, according to whether the infection involves inflammation of soft tissues or inflammation and bone loss. The microflora associated with periimplant infections is similar to the microflora found in periodontal diseases, particularly in partially edentulous patients. Implant placement is therefore not recommended in patients presenting uncontrolled periodontal disease.

Likewise, there is a similarity between the genera identified in periodontal pockets and infected root canals, and periapical infections. However, some species are more prevalent than others in both infections. The following were predominantly observed inside the root canals: Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens, Peptostreptococcus anaerobicus, Peptostreptococcus micros, Eubacterium lentum, Eubacterium alactolyticum and Porphyromonas endodontalis, with strong associations among some species.

Pericoronaritis is another infection associated to anaerobic Gram negative bacilli and Treponemas. Treponemas have been observed in almost all the cases of chronic periconoraritis of the third lower molar.

There are a great number of methods for microbiological diagnosis, and treatment of some oral infections depends on a close interaction between the microbiologist and the dentist.

There is an increasingly evident tendency among health professionals to interact in team work.