BANA Test

BANA Test

Write short note on BANA Test.
Answer. BANA Test (N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide)

• BANA test is highly sensitive, inexpensive and is easy to use chair side test for periodontal risk.
• In just 5 minutes BANA test can detect bacteria associated with periodontal disease simply by applying tongue swabbing or sub – gingival plaques to a small test strip.
• BANA test is the modifiation of BANA hydrolysis test which is developed by Dr. Walter Loesche and colleagues at University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
• It exploits an unusual tyrosine like enzyme which is found in Treponema denticola, porphyromonas gingivalis and bacteroides forsythus, three anaerobic bacteria which are highly associated with adult periodontitis.
• Of 60 subgingival plaque species, only these three possess an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing the synthetic trypsin substrate, benzyol-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) present on the BANA test strips.
• If any of three species is present, they hydrolyze BANA enzyme producing B-naphthylamide which in turn reacts with embedded diazo dye to produce a permanent blue color which indicate a positive test.

How the Test Works

For periodontal risk assessment, subgingival plaque is obtained with a curett. Samples are placed on BANA test strip, which is then inserted into the slot on a small toaster-sized incubator. The incubator automatically heats the sample to 55°C for 5 minutes.

If P. gingivalis, B. forsythus or T. denticola are present, test strip turns blue. The blue it turns, higher is the concentration and the greater is the number of organisms.