Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: Current Overview

Sharayu Rajendra Dhande*, Rashmi Hegde, Sangeeta Muglikar and Prerna Ghodke

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is one of the most aggressive pathobionts studied to the date. It encodes numerous putative toxins; the complex interplay of these toxins with the subgingival microbiota affects host defense mechanisms leading to rigorous destruction of the periodontium further causing loss of the tooth. The diversity in the field of oral microbiology has renewed interest among clinicians to study the bacterial species in particular. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive update on this commensal bacterium and co-relation of its virulence factors with the periodontal disease.