Journal of Dental Research, Vol 71, 43-46, Copyright © 1992 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals

ARTICLES

Fatty acids of healthy and periodontally diseased root substance in human teeth

H. Lygre, E. Solheim, N. R. Gjerdet and N. Skaug
Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, Bergen, Norway.

In this comparative study, samples of root substance from healthy and periodontally diseased human teeth were analyzed for fatty acids by means of a gas-chromatographic technique. The sample preparation procedure allowed specimens from individual teeth to be analyzed. The content of the fatty acids C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, and C18:1 in the superficial layer of the periodontally diseased teeth was significantly higher than that of healthy teeth. In the inner layer, there was no such difference. Four different 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OH C14:0, 3-OH C15:0, 3-OH C16:0, and 3-OH C17:0) were identified by combined gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry in the tooth substance of periodontally diseased teeth. This indicates the presence of lipid A, which is the toxic component of bacterial lipopolysaccharides.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. C. Nichols Novel ceramides recovered from Porphyromonas gingivalis: relationship to adult periodontitis J. Lipid Res., December 1, 1998; 39(12): 2360 - 2372. [Abstract] [Full Text]