Introduction
Periodontal disease differs from periodontitis in that there is no underlying inflammation. It is a degenerative regression of the gums and a reduction of the jaw bone. Nevertheless, it is also suspected that some bacteria are present, which play a decisive role here.
Various scientific studies show that periodontal disease is contagious. Many of the periodontal bacteria can be transmitted between two partners as well as from parents to the child. Not everyone who carries the bacteria is forced to suffer from periodontal disease. The onset of periodontal disease depends not only on infection, but also on one’s own oral hygiene, the individual’s immune system, the intake of medication or personal stress. In order to avoid a renewed infection, it is recommended that all family members of periodontosis patients undergo therapy, even if they do not show any symptoms of the disease.
Bacteria
In the oral cavity of humans there are over 600 different species of bacteria and a total of over 22 million bacteria. It is only when there is a disturbance of the balance, such as a lack of oral hygiene, that the dangerous periodontal disease can break out. If left untreated, it can lead to the loss of teeth.
It has been found that some bacteria are particularly important for the development of severe periodontal disease. These include Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. g. ), Tannerella forsythia (T. f. ), Treponema denticola (T. d. ), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. a. ), Prevotella intermedia (P. i.
). Once these bacteria have accumulated in the depths of the dental pockets, they can form complexes. These complexes are very dangerous because of the interaction of the individual bacteria, as they are able to attack and destroy the periodontium due to their synergistic action.
The yellow and orange complexes form the path for the destructive red complex. In general, these bacteria can be transmitted directly e.g. via saliva or indirectly e.g. via the same toothbrush.
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