‘The days of plaque are long gone’

On 21 July 1976, the American Legion held it annual three-day conference in Philadelphia, where more than 2,000 legionnaires attended the conference.

In the week following the convention, more 130 attendees between the ages of 39 and 82, were hospitalised –with 25 dying. The Centre for Disease control finally isolated the bacterium – later named Legionella pneumophila. It was traced back to the hotel air-conditioning systems and this is why we now have to manage water supplies, air-conditioning units, hot tubs and so on.

Biofilms, the environmental playground of Legionella pneumophila, are found in the mouth. They communicate with each other – ‘quorum sensing’ – and consequently, become resistant to antibiotics. Therefore, mechanical cleaning and removal of biofilm in the dental setting remains key to the health of the mouths of our patients.