MICROBIAL COMPLEXES AND ATTACHMENT ZONES

1. Microbial Complexes

A. Internal Organization

1. The internal structure of plaque biofilm been addressed in several studies of light and electron microscopy [30-34].

2. Organization of bacteria in biofilms is not arbitrary; rather, there are certain relationships between species of bacteria [35]. Bacteria in biofilms no longer work, as a whole, but rather act as a functioning system of interdependent parts.

B. Socransky s Microbial complexes

1. Socransky grouped microorganisms in the complexes and assigned each complex color (Fig. 6-15) [35].

a. A scheme for determining the color of microbial complexes bit like the use of color to indicate homeland security terror combat readiness in the United States. In a terror warning Chart, green indicates low risk, while red indicates severe risk of terrorist attacks.

B. Socransky assigned colors for each microbial complex on the basis of Association with health or illness. 2. Cyan, Magenta, yellow and green complexes early colonizers of the tooth surface and are thought to be compatible with healthy gums.

3. The orange and red complexes are comprised of the species thought to be the major etiologic agents of periodontal disease. The orange and red complexes become more dominant in the late stages of plaque biofilm development.

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