Clinical and microbiological changes in a child with rapid alveolar bone loss and refill.

A 10-year-old Japanese girl with severe tooth mobility in her lower permanent incisors was examined clinically, as well as radiographic and microbiological means. The incisors had severe alveolar bond loss and pocket depths exceeding 7 mm at the first visit, however, 10 periodontal bacteria were not detected in subgingival plaque samples taken from the lower central incisors using a 16S rRNA-based polymerase chain reaction method. Periodontal treatment consisting of mechanical debridement and antibiltic medication resulted in a significant improvement of the clinical parameters. Three months after the first examination, dental radiographs showed refilling of alveolar bone in the region. Further, microbiological examinations after remission detected only oral microflora commonly found in health children including A. actinomycetemcomitans. Based on the clinical, readiographic, and microbiological findings, the present case was diagnosed as acute periodontitis.