ROLE OF LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS IN THE DENTAL PRACTICE

Abstract

Laboratory methods play a crucial role in dental practice, as the state of a patient's oral cavity frequently mirrors disruptions in metabolic processes within the body, and can also provide insights into potential pathology affecting individual organs and systems. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of employing laboratory methods in patients with periodontal tissue diseases. We conducted examinations on 35 patients diagnosed with chronic generalized periodontitis of degrees II and III, along with 15 patients diagnosed with chronic catarrhal gingivitis. Additionally, a control group comprising 15 patients diagnosed solely through clinical examination methods with generalized periodontitis was included in the study. All patients underwent a comprehensive evaluation, including general and biochemical blood tests. The investigation of periodontal pocket contents involved cytological and microbiological analyses, employing the method of successive serial rinses. The patients diagnosed with generalized periodontitis have demonstrated a slight elevation in leukocyte count to 10-12*109/l upon the assessment of the general clinical blood test, indicating an exacerbation of the pathological process in periodontal tissues. Furthermore, patients with generalized periodontitis have exhibited leukocyte migration in oral fluid exceeding 120, signifying disease exacerbation. Cytological examination of periodontal pocket contents revealed a notable presence of epithelial cells. In the microbiocenoses of both gingival and periodontal pockets, representatives of aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms were predominant. Among patients diagnosed with catarrhal gingivitis, these microorganisms constituted 74.25% of the microbiota, while in those with generalized periodontitis, they accounted for 62.70%. During periods of exacerbated periodontitis, there was an increase in the proportion of anaerobes within the microflora of periodontal pockets, rising from 23.15% to 29.40%. Research results have shown that patients with inflammatory and inflammatory-dystrophic periodontal diseases experience dysbiosis of gingival and periodontal pockets, characterized by a decrease in the antagonism of symbiont bacteria to pathogenic and potentially pathogenic microorganisms. The correct interpretation of laboratory studies carried out over time has not only diagnostic and prognostic significance, but is decisive in the choice of adequate treatment.