BANA test measures activity of

BANA: A Chairside Test for Periodontal Risk The BANA Test is a highly sensitive, inexpensive and easy­to-use chairside test for periodontal risk. In just 5-minutes, the BANA Test can detect the bacteria associated with periodontal disease simply by applying tongue swabbings or subgingival plaques to a small test strip. The BANA Test is a modification of the BANA hydrolysis test developed by Dr. Walter Loesche and colleagues at the Univ. of Michigan School of Dentistry. It exploits an unusual Trysin like enzyme found in Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythus, three anaerobic bacteria highly associated with adult periodontitis. Of 60 subgingival plaque species, only these three possess an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing the the synthetic trypsin substrate, benzoyl-DL-arginine­naphthylamide (BANA) present on BANA test strips. If any of the three species is present, they hydrolize the BANA enzyme producing B-naphthylamide which in turn reacts with imbedded diazo dye to produce a permanent blue color indicating a positive test. How it works For periodontal risk assessment, subgingival plaque is obtained with a curette. The samples are placed on the BANA test strip, which is then inserted into a slot on a small toaster-sized incubator. The incubator automatically heats the sample to 55° for 5 minutes. If P. gingivalis, B. forsythus or T. denticola are present, the test strip turns blue. The bluer it turns, the higher the concentration and the greater the number of organisms.