1. Figure 1 Clinical and microbiological aspects of periodontitis
Figure 1 | Clinical and microbiological aspects of periodontitis. The clinical picture of chronic periodontitis is defined by the formation of periodontal pockets ≥4 mm deep with accompanying alveolar bone loss resulting from chronic inflammation. Subsequent loss of tissue attachment to the teeth and deepening of the periodontal pockets to 10–12 mm creates the perfect bacterial niche for harbouring a polymicrobial community, including the key periodontitis pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. a | Inflammation of the gingiva. b and c | Measurement of periodontal pocket depth using a periodontal probe. d | Advanced levels of bone loss visualized by X-ray. Green lines indicate level of alveolar bone loss. e | Scanning electron micrograph showing the complex dysbiotic bacterial biofilm (dental plaque) collected from the tooth surface below the gum line. f | Growth of the major periodontal pathogen, P. gingivalis on blood agar. Image in part a provided by Andreas Stavropoulos, Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden. Images in parts b and c provided by Wolfgang Pfister, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany. Image in part e provided by Sandor Nietzsche, Centre of Electron Microscopy, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
Image in part a provided by Andreas Stavropoulos, Department of
Periodontology, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden. Images in parts b
and c provided by Wolfgang Pfister, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany. Image in part e provided by Sandor Nietzsche, Centre of Electron Microscopy, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
Potempa, J. et al. (2017) The case for periodontitis in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis
Nat. Rev. Rheumatol. doi: /nrrheum