Bana Testing, What Is It?

BANA Testing

Good afternoon all!

This week's blog post is going to be about a new test we are doing in the office that will help us with periodontal cases. It's called a BANA test.

What is a BANA test?

The BANA test is a quick test that helps us determine whether a patient has any or all of the three most common and riskiest pathogenic bacteria called "red complex bacteria", Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythias. These three bacteria are directly associated with periodontal disease in adults. The test is as sensitive as expensive DNA tests, though despite its accuracy it is also amazingly simple to use.

How does it work?

All this test requires is a very small sample of plaque from a pocket. We lightly smear this sample onto a small test strip that has a specific enzyme on it that reacts with red complex bacteria. We then put this test strip into an incubator for 5 minutes (yes only 5 minutes!) and when it comes out, if any of the 3 bacteria are present, the sample will have changed to a blue color. This test is easy, fast and inexpensive to do!

We are always looking for ways to better help and treat our patients. With some of these new tests we are able to better know how to treat periodontal disease and get our patients back to optimal health! If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!

Be well.
Richard Stickney DDS PS