Abstract
Periodontal disease is a family of bacterial infections characterized by the destruction of periodontal support of the teeth involved. The bacterial flora at the diseased sites are complex, counting over 500 different bacterial species in the subgingival dental plaque1, where only a fraction is known by designated names. However, only a limited number of bacterial species have been recognized as true – or putative periodontal pathogens2. The treatment of these infections has for a long time been to perform adequate scaling and root planing in order to reduce the number of bacteria present and change the ecosystem in those sites showing disease progression. Although representing a very non-specific form of treatment, it has proven effective in treating most periodontal diseases so far3.