The BANA test is a highly sensitive, inexpensive and easy-to-use chairside test for periodontal risk. In just 5 minutes, BANA can detect the three most aggressive bacteria associated with periodontal disease simply by applying tongue swabbings or subgingival plaque samples to a small test strip.
The advantage of BANA is a very fast and accurate test result for specific periodontal pathogens. A negative result does not clear a patient of oral infection, however, and should always be followed by the comprehensive oral biofilm microscopy analysis.
For periodontal risk assessment, subgingival plaque is obtained with a curette, dental explorer, or soft pick. The samples are placed on the BANA test strip, which is then inserted into a slot on the BANA incubator. The incubator automatically heats the sample to 55°C for 5 minutes. If P. gingivalis, B. forsythus or T. denticola are present, the test area turns blue. Stronger colour means a higher concentration of organisms.
To detect these bacteria on the tongue surface, a small sample of tongue coating is placed on the BANA test strip and then inserted into the incubator. As for the tooth samples, if these bacteria are present, the test area shows a blue colour.
When the BANA Test was compared to DNA probes and immunological reagents that were highly specific for these organisms, it detected them in plaque samples with a level of accuracy that was comparable to the DNA probes and the immunological reagents; i.e., 89% (BANA) versus 91.5% (DNA and antibody). The sensitivity of the BANA Test for these bacteria in over 200 samples from 67 patients was 90% (BANA) compared to 92% for the DNA probes and immunological reagents.
Loesche WJ. Lopatin DE. Giordano J. Alcoforado G. Hujoel P. Comparison of the benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) test, DNA probes, and immunological reagents for ability to detect anaerobic periodontal infections due to Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Bacteroides forsythus. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 30(2):427-33, 1992 Feb.
