RESUMO
The aim of this study was to verify the association between children and their mothers (N = 28) for periodontal clinical and microbiological measures. Periodontal clinical parameters (probing depth and bleeding on probing) were obtained from six reference teeth from each mother-child pair. In addition, subgingival plaque samples taken from the same reference teeth were collected and placed on the Perioscan test for the detection of Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythus. There were statistically significant differences between children and mothers regarding probing depth; there was an overall tendency for mothers to exhibit average probing depths greater than their children. In contrast, if a child had a bleeding site, the respective site on the mother usually also bled on probing, implying that there was an association in terms of bleeding between the mother-child pairs. Similar findings were observed for the Perioscan test. It is concluded that the occurrence of bleeding and periodontal anaerobic infections (as determined by the Perioscan test) were similar in reference teeth of mother-child pairs. These data suggest that parents with periodontal disease may serve as a reservoir of periodontopathic organisms for their children.