Clinical responses to mechanical periodontal treatment in Chinese chronic periodontitis patients with and without Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare 12-month clinical responses to mechanical periodontal treatment in Chinese chronic periodontitis patients at sites with and without Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans at baseline, and to investigate the ability of mechanical periodontal treatment to eliminate A. actinomycetemcomitans.

Methods: Nineteen patients and a total of 76 selected sites with a mean probing depth (PD) of > or = 7 mm were studied.