In patients with periodontal diseases, does microbial identification influence patient management compared to treatment prescribed without this information?
SEARCH PROTOCOL: The MEDLINE database was searched for clinical studies in English from 1991 through 2002 by 2 investigators. Hand searches were performed on the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, Journal of Periodontology, Journal of Periodontal Research, Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Periodontology 2000. In addition, directors of diagnostic laboratories were contacted about unpublished data. SELECTION CRITERIA: INCLUSION CRITERIA: Articles in which bacterial identification influenced patient treatment were preferred as were those reporting longitudinal data demonstrating a direct relationship between the presence or absence of certain bacteria and subsequent alterations in clinical variables. Because of the limited number of studies, all articles, including case reports, were considered. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Review articles without original data were excluded, although references were examined for possible inclusion. Articles reporting data showing associations between certai
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