Dental Focal Infection Associated with Skin Diseases

To elucidate the pathogenesis of dental focal infection associated with skin lesion, serological and bacteriological studies in 52 patients with various dermatoses were performed. None of the 52 patients were accompanied with tonsillar or sinus lesions, but they all had chronic dental lesions. The isolation of causative microbes and the evaluation of serum anti-streptolysin O (ASO), anti-streptokinase (ASK), anti-deoxyribonuclease B (ADN-B) were performed. Alpha-hemolytic cocci were most frequently isolated and ASO, ASK, and ADN-B values, which are the inarkers for β-hemolytic streptococcal infection, were negative in many cases. In patients in whom α-hemolytic streptococci were isolated, agglutinin titers were examined and we found that these patients generally had high agglutination titers against the isolated α-hemolytic streptococci. Some humoral immunological reactions to bacterial surface determinants may play a role in the pathogenesis.