Determination of the microbial status of subgingival pockets is necessary to justify and appropriately select an antimicrobial therapeutic regimen for periodontal infections. Delay in receipt of the results of a microbiological analysis may postpone certain kinds of treatment until a subsequent office visit. In order to assure timely treatment and avoid expensive patient recalls, a simple, rapid in-office test to assess microbial status is required. The objective of this project is to develop such a test to serve this market need, using a proprietary interferometric assay format which is well suited to the requirements of this test.In Phase I, we will (1) employ a generalized immobilization chemistry scheme for attachment of antibodies against three bacterial species implicated in periodontitis (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcommitans) to small areas on the assay substrate; (2) make gold labeled derivatives of those antibodies; and (3) demonstrate detection of the target bacteria using the reagents and assay substrates developed. Successful achievement of these aims will establish the technical feasibility of our test format and approach, enabling further work to develop the desired test.National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR)
