A comparison of polymerase chain reaction with other two widely used methods in detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficiency of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with cultural method and indirect immunofluorescence (IF) in detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g) in oral plaque samples. METHODS: 92 subgingival plaque samples were collected from patients of three kinds of periodontal disease. A program using PCR to detect Fimbrilin gene (Fim A) was designed to detect P.g. The efficiency of this PCR method was compared with cultural method and IF. RESULTS: The positive-rate of PCR was 94.6%, while that of cultural method and IF was only 48.9% and 68.5% respectively. The difference was significant in statistical analysis (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: PCR is more sensitive than culture method and IF in detecting pathogens of periodontal diseases. The study provides a simplified and efficient method for oral clinical use.