Our group is involved in a National Institute of Health supported prospective cohort study investigating the relationship between a putative microbial pathogen, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and an aggressive form of periodontal disease that can lead to tooth loss in children.

We have thus far screened over 3,000 children and have identified some unique markers of disease. However, in the process we discovered that only 10% of the children we have screened harbor the putative causative microorganism.

We needed a chair-side method to identify those children who had A. actinomcetemcomitans so that we could enrich for our susceptible population and then follow these subjects periodically for the next two years to see if they contract the disease.

The AmpXpress provides us with a rapid, accurate, reasonably priced, and portable instrument that has allowed us to rapidly screen potential participants for the presence or absence of A. actinomycetemcomitans.

The entire process from acquisition of the sample to positive identification of A. actinomycetemcomitans takes no longer than one hour. Previously we spent a minimum of two days for positive identification and this caused a break in the continuity needed for recall.

Dr. Daniel H. Fine
Professor and Chair
Department of Oral Biology
Director,
Center for Oral Infectious Diseases
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
New Jersey Dental School