No Pathogens DetectedPRS 1
Low risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
0.0
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
For providers
The numbers tell you what's there. The pattern tells you what it means.
Gum disease isn't caused by one bacterium crossing one threshold. It emerges from how bacteria combine. That's exactly what a list of detection levels can't show you - and what OraPath is built to.
The problem with raw results
A list of levels asks every clinician to reconstruct the same biology, by hand.
Most saliva reports hand you a column of bacteria and a column of numbers, then leave the interpretation to you. The trouble is that the clinically important information lives in the relationships between bacteria - and those relationships don't show up in a list.
So the same report gets read three different ways by three different team members. The hygienist sees the tallest bar. The dentist scans for familiar names. Nobody is wrong, exactly - but nobody is seeing the whole community.
Reading raw levels well takes training, time, and consistency that a busy operatory rarely has on every patient, every visit.
Typical raw report
10⁷
10⁶
10⁵
10⁴
10³
10²
PgTdTfAaFaFn-a
copies / mL · log scale
So… what's the risk?
Nothing here is "high." Easy to call this low-concern. The biology says otherwise.
See it for yourself
Same-looking numbers. Very different risk.
Four illustrative specimens. Toggle between them. Each time, see what the raw bars suggest - then what the pattern actually is.
Specimen A
Raw detection levels
OraPath pattern verdict
2/5
Mild Risk
Early Dysbiosis Pattern
Specimens A-D are illustrative examples built to demonstrate OraPath's pattern-first interpretation - not real patient results. Results are interpreted by a qualified provider alongside clinical findings and patient history.
Every pattern we read
The patterns OraPath detects.
Each card is a representative profile in the same Detection-Level format your report uses — scroll across to see how each named pattern reads at the chair.
No Pathogens DetectedPRS 1
Low risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
0.0
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Fn-a Bridging PatternPRS 1
Low risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
0.0
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
8.4
Multi-Organism Trace PatternPRS 2
Mild risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
2.1
Td
1.8
Tf
2.4
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Early Dysbiosis PatternPRS 2
Mild risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
7.8
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Isolated Aa DetectionPRS 3
Moderate risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
0.0
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
5.5
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Core Pathogen DominantPRS 3
Moderate risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
16.2
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Dual Pathogen ProfilePRS 3
Moderate risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
0.0
Td
0.0
Tf
12.3
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
11.5
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Low-Level Multi-Pathogen PatternPRS 3
Moderate risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
0.0
Td
4.9
Tf
6.2
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
5.4
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Pg + Td Synergistic PatternPRS 4
Elevated risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
13.5
Td
12.8
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Aa-Amplified Inflammatory ProfilePRS 4
Elevated risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
12.5
Td
0.0
Tf
0.0
Amplifiers
Aa
9.2
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Multi-Pathogen Inflammatory ProfilePRS 4
Elevated risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
12.1
Td
0.0
Tf
11.8
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
13.2
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
High-Risk Synergistic PatternPRS 5
Severe risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
15.6
Td
14.8
Tf
12.5
Amplifiers
Aa
0.0
Fa
0.0
Bridge
Fn-a
0.0
Severe Multi-Pathogen ProfilePRS 5
Severe risk
Core Perio Pathogens
Pg
18.5
Td
16.3
Tf
15.1
Amplifiers
Aa
10.2
Fa
14.7
Bridge
Fn-a
15.8
How OraPath does it
Pattern-first, level-informed - and you can still check the math.
Patterns evaluated in priority order
Every specimen is matched against defined bacterial patterns - from low burden through synergistic and severe multi-pathogen profiles - and the dominant combination drives the Periodontal Risk Score, not a single threshold.
Levels still differentiate within a pattern
Detection levels aren't discarded - they sharpen the read. Isolated Aa at a high level, for example, is treated more seriously than at a low level, because its leukotoxin activity warrants it even without co-pathogens.
Prioritized clinical focus areas
The report surfaces the few highest-priority next steps for that specific specimen - care urgency, targeted interventions, retest timing - so your team acts on conclusions, not on a spreadsheet.
Transparent and documented
Underlying detection levels are still reported, so you can verify every call. The logic is version-controlled and mapped to the published literature behind it.
Stop interpreting lists. Start reading patterns.
Bring OraPath into your practice and give your whole team a result they can read the same way, every time.